The Rose
by Hopeless-Romantic-Daydreamer
Summary: Laura left Antonio because he'd been shot and insisted on going back to work. Now Antonio is trying to move on and be the best dad in the time he get's with Eva and Diego. He eventually wants to move on in the relationship game. In the mean time, someone from Jay's past reappears in his life. What happens when Antonio meets the one person who would change everything? M 4 future ch.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

Welcome to a new story! This is my first Chicago: PD story. If you've read any of my previous stories, you'll know I've stuck to Criminal Minds or Sons of Anarchy stories. I've recently become addicted to the show.

So this is my perception of what happens after Laura leaves Antonio. It will be AU but still have certain aspects of Season 2 in it. If you are a die-hard Antonio + Laura fan, heads up, this story isn't that kind of story. You may not like where it's going to go. I do appreciate all reviews and I read and try to reply to each one.

I'm dedicating this story to my own personal Dominican hero, my husband. Te amo!

I don't own any of these characters except my OCs. The characters belong to Dick Wolf.

Enjoy! Love always Nicole! 3

* * *

 _ **Prologue:**_

Antonio read the note he'd found again. He couldn't believe it. They'd been together for almost twenty years. In his 36 years, he'd felt a lot of heartache and betrayal but never like this. He never though Laura would just up and leave, taking their two children with her. She had always said she'd support him. From the time he served with the Marines to joining to CPD, she'd stood by him. It wasn't like he was purposely trying to be shot at. That was a risk of being a cop. He may not have always been there for his children, but if he wasn't working undercover, he had been there. He put the letter down and buried his face in his hands. He felt a tear run down his cheek. He was debating calling Laura to plead his case, calling Gaby to get her perspective or just getting plastered.

He settled on calling his sister and pouring himself a scotch. While he was waiting for Gaby to show up, Jay Halstead called.

"Hey Antonio."

"Halstead."

"You okay? You seemed in a rush to get out of here."

"Jay now is not the time." His tone similar to the tone he used on the job with his CIs.

"Antonio, come on. This is me you're talking to. I know that tone."

Antonio sighed. "Laura took off to her sister's with the kids."

The dead air on the phone line spoke volumes. Jay finally spoke up. "I'm sorry. Man, I didn't think it was that bad."

"To be honest, neither did I." Antonio took a sip of the scotch. The smooth liquor burned his throat. "I thought we were too, but obviously I'm a blind fool."

"Don't beat yourself up man. It's not gonna help. Do you want it to work?" Jay knew that the strain on Antonio's marriage wasn't being helped by the job of working in Intelligence.

Antonio wasn't sure anymore. Being shot while working Vice before the promotion to Intelligence to Diego being kidnapped by Pulpo, getting shot again during Pulpo's escape, going back to Intelligence had ultimately been the last straw for Laura. He'd lost count of how many fights they'd had since he'd come home from the hospital. They'd gotten even worse since he'd decided to go back to Intelligence.

"Antonio, yo buddy. You still there?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking of an answer. I honestly don't know anymore."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Look, Jay, Gaby's here. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone and finished his scotch while on the way to open the door.

* * *

 **Halstead's apartment:**

"Jay? Everything okay?"

"Yeah Jes. A friend of mine is just in bad place."

She handed him the beer she'd been holding while he was on the phone. "Sounds like a good friend." She kissed his cheek.

Jay gave her his signature goofy smile. "Ya, he's the reason I got in Intelligence and he's like a brother to me."

"Maybe I should thank him."

She wasn't going to find out he had had to be shot on duty first. "Maybe. Right now I wanna know why you're back in Chicago." He ruffled her hair.

"What does it matter? I thought you'd be happy to see your best friend?"

"Usually, but that's what holidays are for. I thought you were finishing your program up north first."

"I kind of decided that a Master's in Education wasn't going to serve me any good in what I really want to do."

"And what exactly is it that you really want to do? I thought you wanted to climb the ladder of teaching."

Jes shook her head. "No way. You'll tell me I'm nuts."

"Jes, you're my best friend. I only want you to be happy."

"You say that now Jay Halstead." She laughed. "After working with some inner city schools, I realized these kids need somewhere safe to go to learn basic life skills or just be off the streets."

Jay was taken back. He remembered how Jes had first come into his life and changed it forever.

* * *

 _ **Flashback to Jay's Junior Year of High School… (Approx. 11 years)**_

" _Hey that's mine!" A shrill voice came from down the hallway._

 _Jay turned from his locker. The voice was definitely a girl's voice. He slammed his locker shut and ran towards the voice. When he got there he saw a new girl struggling with the Captain of the Cheer squad._

" _Look I'm sorry if I asked him for directions." She was in tears. "I didn't know that that was a crime."_

 _The Cheer Captain wasn't budging. She reached back, made a fist and was ready to punch the new girl. Jay jumped into action. He grabbed the Cheer Captain's arm and yanked her back. "Hey."_

" _Back off, jackass!" The Cheer Captain swung her other arm to hit him. He grabbed her other arm and flipped her over his shoulders. She landed with a thud, the wind clearly knocked out of her. The hallway went completely silent._

" _What is going on here?!" Jay turned to see the Principal gawking at the scene. "Those of you involved… get to class. Now!" She then turned to the face the new girl, Jay and the Cheer Captain._

 _2 hours later…_

 _Jay walked out of the office, head down. He was in so much trouble. He had just been handed a two-week suspension. On the bright side, so had the Cheer Bitch. She had also lost her squad. The new girl had gotten off scot free, and for that he was thankful._

 _He headed for his locker when someone touched his arm. He spun around and came face-to-face with the new girl._

" _I wanted to thank you." She extended her hand. "My name's Jeslyn Bellamy."_

" _Jay Halstead." He shook her hand._

" _Thanks Jay. Um, I didn't mean for you to get into that much trouble."_

 _"It's not the first time. Don't worry about me. One more year and I'm outta here." He looked at her. "You're new here. Where you from?"_

" _Ottawa."_

" _Canada? Why you here?"_

" _My parents are split up and my mom moved me here because her newest sugar daddy lives here."_

 _Jay had reached his locker. "I'm sorry. What about you dad?"_

 _The look in her eyes told Jay that that was the wrong question to ask. "I'm sorry. It's not my business."_

 _She shook her head. "It's fine. You're the first person who's been nice to me since I moved here. My dad is in the Canadian Special Forces. He got deployed, so my mom played dirty and used that to get sole custody. Now I'm stuck here. I've got no one here and because my dad's work is classified, I can't do anything."_

" _That sucks. Just curious, what grade you in?"_

" _Ten."_

" _You look younger than 16."_

" _You'd be right. I am. I'm 14."_

" _Shouldn't you still be in Junior High?" Jay gave her a goofy grin._

 _She smiled. "I jumped ahead a couple years. What about you?"_

" _I'm almost 18. I should be graduating this year, but things change." He closed his locker. "Look, I might be suspended but I want you to call me if you ever need to talk." He wrote his number on her hand. "I mean it."_

 _She smiled and promised he world._

 _For the remainder of the school year, Jay was by her side. No one bothered her and she helped him stay out of trouble._

 _Time went on and the next school year started. Sadly Jes's world would shatter. Her mom and new step-dad were killed by a drunk driver on New Year's Eve. Her dad couldn't provide her with a stable living situation because of his work. She would've become a ward of the state. Jay didn't want that for her, so he convinced his mom to take her in while her dad was still deployed over seas. Jay did graduate that year and he quickly enlisted with the Rangers._

"Jay?"

He snapped back to reality. "Sorry."

"Where'd ya go?"

"The day we first met."

"Seriously? Of all our memories?" Jes snickered.

Jay nodded. "You were a brat then and you're still a brat now."

She punched his arm. "Am not. I'm exhausted. Where's the spare room?"

"I don't have one remember? I've changed apartments since you were last down here."

"Drat." She looked around. "Well, I guess I'm roughing it on the couch until I can find my own place."

"Like hell you are!" Jay stood up. "I'll sleep on the couch, and don't even try to argue with me."

Jeslyn quickly closed her mouth.

"As for a place to stay, we'll work that out in the morning." He turned and got the spare bedding to make up the couch.

"You're still looking out for me, huh Jay?" She kissed his cheek.

"Always darlin'." He kissed her forehead. "Bed. Now. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Sir, yes, sir!" She mock saluted him and went into the bedroom.

Once the door was closed, he went about to making up the couch. He wasn't about to let Jeslyn find a place on her own. There was no neighborhood in Chicago that would be in her price range and safe for a single, young, pretty girl like her. Once the couch was done up, he lay down and continued revisiting memory lane.

* * *

 _ **Jeslyn's Senior Year… (Approx. 8 years ago.)**_

" _Jes!" Jay ran towards the young woman who'd become a sister to him._

" _Jay! You're back!" Jeslyn threw her arms around his neck._

" _Did you honestly think I'd miss your birthday… or Prom, for that matter?"_

" _I didn't think you'd be able to make both."_

" _I pulled strings. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to pull enough strings to make Graduation, but his mom had promised to record it for him._

 _Jeslyn's birthday went off without a hitch. She was coming out of her shell and making friends. Prom was two weeks away. After Prom, Jaw would have to leave to go make good on his promise to get this time off. He hadn't told her yet. He didn't know how. He also wasn't about to ruin her 16_ _th_ _birthday with these problems. The day after her birthday party however became a total nightmare._

 _Jay woke up to the doorbell ringing at 6 in the morning. Jay was the first to get there. He wasn't sure if anyone else was up yet. He was going to wish he hadn't gotten up, because that morning was the worst of any morning possible. On their porch stood their priest, Father McMartin and two Canadian servicemen in dress uniform. The one stepped forward. "Does Jeslyn Bellamy live here?"_

 _Jay nodded. He knew what this meant. "I'll go get her."_

 _He bolted up the stairs. "Jes." He knocked on her door. "Hey it's Jay."_

" _What is it?" Jes poked her head out of the door._

" _You need to come downstairs."_

 _They made their way downstairs. Jay stayed next to her when they got to the sunroom. Jes let out a cry when she saw who was waiting there._

" _Miss Bellamy?"_

 _Jeslyn swayed. Jay tried his best to steady her. "Yes." Her voice caught in her throat._

" _My name is Colonel Durgan. I'm very sorry that I have to tell you this. Your father, Captain Michel Bellamy was killed in action." His voice shook as he delivered this most difficult news._

 _Jeslyn's knees buckled as the news hit her. Jay caught her and held her to his chest. Her sobs of "NO!" resonated against him as her tears slid down his bare chest. He turned to look at the colonel. "Are you sure?"_

 _The Colonel nodded sadly. His eyes were filled with sadness. Jay didn't know what to say or do. He just held her as she mourned the loss of her father._

 _Jay accompanied Jeslyn back to Ottawa for her father's funeral. Jeslyn's spirit was broken and there wasn't a single thing Jay could do to help her and this left him at a loss. Ranger training had never prepared him for this. His guilt level was also through the roof. He was about to deploy on a one-year classified mission to Afghanistan. She would never forgive him._

 _When they got back to Chicago, Jay asked if she had made plans for prom._

" _You need to celebrate, Jes. You need joy in your life again." Jay tried to convince her._

" _Jay, I don't want to. Why can't you understand? I just want this over. I'm tired of the constant pity party."_

" _For me?" His eyes hopefully were pleading his case._

" _Well…" She smiled shyly. "I was asked to go."_

 _Jay gave a wry grin. "Who?"_

 _Her face turned crimson. This told Jay that it was most likely the guy she'd had a crush on for the last year._

" _Will asked me."_

" _Then go for it."_

 _That was all it took to get her to have a better end to her senior year._

* * *

 _ **Two days before Jeslyn's Prom…**_

" _No." Jes's voice echoed into the entryway._

 _Jay opened the door to the house a little wider. "Jes?" He couldn't see her. "Everything okay?"_

" _No! Stop it!" Her tone wasn't joking anymore._

 _Jay dropped the grocery bags he had been carrying and booked it up the stairs. "Jes!"_

" _Jay!" Her shriek made his blood curdle. "Hel…"_

" _Shut up! You know you want to." A male's voice came from her room._

" _Jeslyn! I'm coming!" Jay tried the door. It was locked._

 _At this point, he didn't care about the door or how his mom would be pissed at the busted door. He threw his whole weight behind his shoulder and crashed into her room. She was half naked and being pinned to the bed by her prom date. Jay let his Ranger training kick in. He felt the teen's body lift. He flung him across the room with all his strength. The teen fell into a limp pile. Jes threw herself at Jay and wept._

" _Jes, we need to call the police."_

 _Her tear streaked face looked up at him. "Do we have to?" Then she looked at the unconscious Will. "Did you kill him?"_

 _Jay shook his head. "I should've." He grabbed his cell and called 9-1-1._

* * *

 _ **Prom day…**_

 _Jay hoped his surprise would help Jeslyn recover from the many recent traumas she'd endured. He knocked on her door. "Jeslyn."_

" _I'm not in the mood." He could still hear the pain in her voice._

 _The school had dealt with the situation and Will was facing prison time, but that hadn't killed the rumor mill. "Jes. Please. Let me in."_

" _It's unlocked." She sniffled._

 _Jay slowly opened the door. "Hey darlin'."_

 _Jes lifted her head from 'Pride and Prejudice'. "What on earth?"_

 _Jay stood in the middle of her room in full Ranger dress uniform with 2 dozen roses in his arms. He'd received special permission for the uniform, but everything he'd have to do to make up for every favor he'd asked for would be worth it to see Jeslyn happy again. "You look kind of funny to be going to your senior prom."_

" _I can't. Not after…"_

" _You can, and you will."_

" _My date's in prison."_

 _Jay gave his signature goofy grin. "What am I? Chopped liver?"_

" _But the rules…"_

" _Don't apply." He handed her the bouquet. "Get ready because this is your night."_

 _That was all it took. Hours later they were dancing the night away and Jeslyn was smiling again._

With that last peaceful memory, Jay drifted off into a deep slumber.


	2. Coming Home

_**A/N: This chapter will have aspects of Season 2, Episode 1. I do not own CPD or its characters. They belong to Dick Wolf. I only own my ideas and my OCs. WARNING: LANGUAGE. Please read and review… Love always, Nicole**_

* * *

 **Jay's apartment:**

Jay woke up to the sound of his alarm going off in the distance. He sat up. "Why the hell am I on the couch?" He stretched and moved his neck in circles to loosen it. Then he remembered. "Jes?" He called out.

"How do I turn off this damned alarm?" She groaned.

He snickered. "I'll come turn it off. Make sure you're decent." He slowly opened the door. Jeslyn was sitting up with his comforter up to her chin. "Morning, Sunshine."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "It's 5:30. In the morning! I never get up this early."

"Oh… cupcake. I'll move the alarm clock to the living room. I've gotta get ready for work." He unplugged the alarm.

She gave him the famed Puss-in-Boots eyes. "But I just got here."

"You haven't met my boss. He doesn't like people being late or playing hooky. Nope. The big eyes aren't gonna cut it, sis."

"Then what am I supposed to do all day?"

"Browse the classifieds for a two bedroom place."

She looked at him with a very puzzled look. "But?"

"You're not going to live on your own. You don't have the money to afford a safe neighborhood." He put his hand up to stop her interruption. "No. I'm keeping you safe and I think having a roommate would be fun. You can quit pouting."

"Fine. I guess you're right." She cocked her head to the side. "Think we could do lunch?"

Jay thought about it. He wasn't sure what was happening with Jin's case or if Voight had plans but he didn't see the harm. "Sure. Come by the station. Bring the top five places you find and we'll talk about 'em over lunch."

"Cool. Can I raid the fridge to make lunch?"

Jay's face burned. He didn't really have a properly stocked fridge. "Uh… I'll leave you some money and you can go out and restock the pantry and fridge."

"Still living on junk food and take out?"

"No lecturing, but yeah." He grabbed his towel to go shower. "When you come by, tell Sergeant Platt that you're there to see me. Either she'll buzz you up or call me to let me know you're there." He paused. "If you want to be on her good side, maybe bring her some of that awesome banana bread you make."

"Sure. I'll make some for your team too." She smiled.

"Just watch some of them. I don't want them getting cute with you."

"So you're saying leave the flirt at home?"

"Exactly." He went to ruffle her hair. "You can make yourself at home. You're safe with me." He went to the bathroom and set the water in the shower. Despite most of his co-workers being attached, it didn't mean they wouldn't try to flirt. He got in the shower and let the hot water cascade down his body.

Jeslyn sighed. She knew Jay must be disappointed in her. He'd been so proud when she'd gotten into the Masters' program. She got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. She went through the fridge and pantry. She sighed. Jay had nothing, absolutely nothing. There was instant coffee and a little cream in the fridge. "How the hell does he survive?"

"Eating out."

Jeslyn jumped. "Damn! You're like a freaking mouse."

"I know. I have to be, remember?"

She nodded. "I don't know how you can eat out every day and still be in that good of shape." She pointed at his very defined six-pack.

"I go to a boxing gym. My buddy got me a discount."

"I hope you leave me a good chunk of change. Your grocery bill will be through the roof."

He handed her his Visa, then pulled on his T-shirt. "Don't go too crazy. I've gotta go. See you at lunch." With that, Jay grabbed his bag and left.

Jeslyn looked around the apartment. While she wanted her independence, she knew Jay was right. She didn't have a strong income to afford a nice place on her own, but she did have other options that Jay didn't know about yet. She'd apartment hunt when she was done getting groceries.

* * *

Antonio had gotten a call from one of his more reliable informants, Jellybean. He got ready and headed out. This morning, though, would be another morning without any kisses or 'I love you's. Them empty house was eerily silent. He locked up and headed to the meet.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Jellybean asked.

"No." Antonio knew she was telling the truth. Of all his CIs, Jellybean had always been the most reliable. "I'll talk to them. But you might need to get us more info."

She nodded and took off. Antonio ran his fingers through his hair and headed back to the district. Once he was back, he grabbed a coffee and presented the information.

"She's never lied and her info always pans out." He concluded.

Voight nodded and gave the all clear. "Suit up." He stopped them. "Everyone goes home tonight."

Jay prayed that it was true, but in the last year they'd lost two colleagues, Jules and Jin. They'd almost lost Antonio too. Antonio had been hardest hit when Jules had been killed because she had been his partner since their time together in Vice. While everyone was gearing up and Al was getting Ruzek ready, Jay went to talk to Antonio.

"Hey, Tonio."

"What do you want Halstead?"

"Just checking up on you. Haven't had much time to talk in the last six weeks. Did you and Gaby get to talk?"

Antonio sighed. "Yeah. We talked."

"And?"

"She understands both sides but she's not sure either."

Jay patted Antonio's back. "Everything will work out in the end."

They headed over to where Ruzek was putting on his guard's uniform. Antonio gave him the signals for them to move in. With final instructions in place, they headed out. Jay hopped in with Erin, Al and Kevin while Antonio rode with Voight.

While listening to Ruzek make idle chitchat with the other guards, Antonio quickly went over his options of what to do with Laura. A glimmer off an oncoming truck caught his eye. The truck was headed straight on a T-bone collision path with their SUV. "Voight!" Antonio braced himself for impact. The truck collided with such force that they were pushed into a parked car. Antonio was pinned in. They were sitting ducks in the middle of an ambush. He knew shit had hit the fan when he heard Ruzek shouting 'Popcorn' in his earpiece.

* * *

Jeslyn had spent two hours buying groceries to properly stock the apartment. She bought the ingredients to make Jay's favourite lunch. Once home, she set to work preparing her renowned bacon mac and cheese.

Once lunch was in the oven, she set about to reorganizing the kitchen. Jeslyn made a note to get Jay to get better kitchen equipment. She knew he didn't cook a lot, but if they were going to be roommates, he'd need better stuff. They'd need better stuff. She smiled at the thought of them being roommates again. For the first time in about six years, she felt happy again.

She quickly set to work to find apartments to show Jay over lunch. She also made some calls to get herself placed on substitute teacher rosters at local schools. She didn't want Jay to foot the whole bill for them himself. The oven timer went off and she gathered the things required to serve lunch. Today would be a good day. She called a cab as she made her final preparations.

The cab was waiting for her when she came out. "District 21, please." With the door closed and lunch in her lap, Jeslyn was on her way.

She arrived at the District pretty quickly. She thanked and paid the driver. She carefully made her way up the stairs, not wanting to spill anything. A patrolman held the door open for her. "Thank you." Once inside she was in awe. She had always been proud of Jay in his career choices, but she knew being here was the top of the game. She walked up to the Sergeant's desk. The stern looking woman must be Platt. She waited quietly for the Sergeant to get off the phone.

"Can I help you?" Her tone seemed to suggest annoyance.

"I'm here to see Detective Jay Halstead." She said meekly.

"I see. He's just coming in now. Who are you?" Sergeant Platt eye her from head to toe.

"I'm his sister, Jeslyn."

Platt looked mystified. Jay Halstead was somewhat of a mystery. She knew Jay's mom had passed away, and his brother Will lived in New York. She knew nothing about a sister. "Hang on. I'll call up." She motioned to the bench across from her desk.

Platt called up to Intelligence. Nadia answered. "Intelligence."

"Nadia, is Halstead up there?"

"He's in the locker room."

"Should I send up his guest or wait until he's done?"

"Buzz her up."

Platt hung up the phone. "Head up those stairs. When the gate buzzes, open the door and keep walking up the stairs. Nadia will meet you."

"Thank you Sergeant." She reached into her bag and pulled out a still warm loaf of chocolate chip banana bread. "This is for you."

Trudy Platt was unsure of what else to say other than "Thank you."

Jeslyn made her way to the stairs that Sergeant Platt had indicated. Just as she got to the gate, it flew open causing her to lose her balance. She cried out as she fell backwards. She cradled the baking pan as she fell. It all felt like it was happening in slow motion.

"Whoa!" A man's voice cried out as Jeslyn crashed into him. "Atwater! Watch what the hell you're doing!"

Jeslyn was shaken. The officer who had opened the door began apologizing. "Oh shit. Are you okay, Miss?"

"Atwater." The gruff voice of her hero demanded his attention. "Help this young woman up. Before we all fall again."

"Right Boss." Atwater helped Jes regain her balance.

Jeslyn turned to thank her rescuer. "Thank you…" Her voice trailed off.

"Voight. Hank Voight." He extended his hand. "You are?"

"Jes!" Jay's voice caught everyone by surprise. "You okay?"

Jes caught the glare that Jay had thrown in Voight's way. She'd asked about it later.

"You know this young woman?" Voight's voice was like gravel.

"Ya Boss. She's my little sister." Jay put his arm around her. "She brought lunch."

Normally, this wouldn't be allowed, but even Voight was curious about Jay's sister. The Intelligence officers led Jes up the stairs into the bullpen.

"Hey everyone! This here is Jay's sister. Jeslyn Halstead." Voight announced.

"Actually, it's Bellamy." Jes politely corrected him.

Jay's coworkers looked at each other and Jay in puzzlement.

Jay knew he owed them an explanation. "I met Jes back in high school. When shit hit the fan and she had nowhere else to go, I convinced my mom to adopt her. Part of the deal was that she got to keep here last name to honour her dad's memory."

That seemed to satisfy the masses. Jay then did a round of introductions.

"I brought lunch." Jeslyn opened the lid of the casserole dish. "Bacon mac and cheese."

"You made my favourite dish to share with everyone?" Jay's jaw dropped.

"Don't worry. I made an extra one and put it in the fridge for you." She kissed his cheek. "I also made fresh chocolate chip banana muffins. They're still warm, so dig in." She turned to Jay. "I brought those apartments to go over. Also, we need to talk about getting me a car or something."

"Yeah, I guess so. I take it that you sold the Jeep?" Jay took two plates of the mac and cheese and two muffins. He led Jes to the lunch room.

"Yeah, I sold it. Canadian vehicles down here are more or less useless."

Jay swallowed his mouthful of macaroni. "What are you looking at?"

"Newer model SUV. Aiming for Jeep, Cadillac or Ford. I could tolerate a Toyota or Honda." Jes took a bite of her lunch. "After I totalled my first car, I learned my lesson. Living where there's any amount of snow, you need a high enough vehicle with the ability to get good traction."

"Sis, I don't think you can afford a newer model vehicle right now."

Jes was nibbling on her muffin. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Jay finished his serving of mac and cheese.

"Both my parents had life insurance. So did my step-dad. All that money was left to me once I turned 25. Until then it had been held in trust."

"You claimed it?" Jay was surprised. In the years since her parents' deaths, she'd never once mentioned claiming the money. "Well, I guess you could've seeing as your gonna be 26."

"Yeah, I claimed it. It's more than enough to get me through starting my youth organization, getting my own place and a newer car."

"Okay, well don't blow it all right away."

"I won't. I just need some people with connections to lend a hand."

"I'll see what I can arrange. But you're still not living on your own."

"I know. I get that."

"Hey!" Atwater popped his head in. "I hear something about needing connections? I've got loads of connections."

"Yeah, Atwater. I know that, but she just back last night." Jay replied.

"I can put feelers out. I'm always here to help family. What y'all looking for?"

Jay sighed. Atwater just wasn't going to budge. "She's gonna need a decent, two or three bedroom place in a good neighbourhood. She also wants a newish domestic SUV."

"Cool. Vehicle is easiest. A place, a little more complicated but definitely not impossible. Give me price ranges and I'll hook you up."

Jay wrote some prices that he knew were reasonable. "And they're all legit?"

"Definitely. I'll get back to ya." Atwater turned to Jeslyn. "Thanks for lunch. It was amazing."

"It really wasn't a problem. I love to cook. Glad you enjoyed it."

With that, Atwater left the room.

"You've got some awesome friends here Jay."

"Yeah. Some can be knuckleheads." Jay smiled. "I've gotta get back. Stay here. I'll drive you home after shift."

"Is your boss gonna be cool with that?"

Jay shrugged. "He's gonna have to be. Maybe you could talk to Nadia. She's new. Literally, it's her first day."

"Sure."

"She's got a bad past, but with some encouragement maybe you can help her see past it all?"

"Whatever I can do." She got up and kissed his cheek. "Be safe out there."

"Always." Jay turned and left, as Erin and he had to go search out a suspect from this morning's ambush.

* * *

"Nadia, right?" Jes walked towards the young woman at the receptionist's desk.

"Yeah." She stuck out her hand. "So Jay has a sister."

Jes shook her hand and nodded. "Yeah. He's the only family I have left."

"I know that feeling. Erin got me this job after saving me from being a junky prostitute. She got me into rehab. I owe her everything.

Jes now understood what Jay had meant. "Sounds like these people are good people to have close."

Nadia nodded and smiled. "They act like a family."

Jes knew exactly what Nadia meant. That's what it had been like when Jay and his mom had taken her in. "That's all that really matters isn't it?"

The girls continued to discuss the families that had adopted them and trying to figure out what to do with their new beginnings.

* * *

Jay was still in shock by what he had seen on the jump drive Jin had sent him. The amount of information on dirty cops and IA was overwhelming. Even though Erin swore there was no way Voight could've been involved, he wasn't entirely sure. Even Antonio had always had his suspicions of how Voight had been reinstated and promoted to Head of Intelligence. Maybe he should go to Antonio. Then again, Antonio was preoccupied with getting more info from his CI. He had no choice, he'd have to go to Voight.

Jay had given Voight the drive and prayed they'd be able to get justice for Jin. He saw Voight take off so he could only imagine what was going to come from it. Jay also meant to talk to Erin about this Bunny chick who kept calling her.

 **Later…**

Jay was beyond pissed. They knew exactly who had killed Jin, but Voight was just going to cover it up like he always did. He wished he'd kept a copy of that thumb drive. He punched his locker the rage he felt only numbed his fist. He grabbed his things and went to go find Jes.

"Hey Nadia." Jay looked around the bullpen. "Where's Jes?"

"Sergeant Platt wanted to see her. Something about a recipe?"

Jay smiled. "Go figure. Thanks. Have a good night." He took the stairs two at a time. He caught the end of their conversation. "Hey Sergeant. Jes, you ready to go?"

Jes nodded. "Yup. Enjoy the banana bread, Sergeant."

The two headed out to discuss the new places they could potentially go look at.

* * *

 **The next day…**

"So, Jay, you're okay with me actually buying a place versus renting?" Jeslyn asked as she took a bite of her waffle.

"You've got the finances, and if you're cool with me being your roomie, I'm fine."

"Promise to pull your weight on chores and bills, and I'm as cool as a cucumber."

The two laughed. It felt like home again. It was a feeling neither had felt in quite some time.

"You still working that armoured car thing?" Jes asked as she began to clear the table.

Jay nodded as he did up his boots. "Yup."

"Promise me that…" Her voice faltered a little. "That you'll be safe."

Jay clipped his badge to his belt and holstered his sidearm. "Hey, Jes." He walked to her side. "What's wrong?"

Jes tried to hide the fear in her eyes. "Every time I'm happy…" A tear slid down her cheek.

Jay wiped it away. "What are you talking about?"

"I swear I'm cursed. Every time I'm happy, bad things happen."

"Jes, that's crazy and you know it."

"Do you not remember my senior year?"

"Jeslyn, that was then. It was bad luck. Not a curse." He pulled her close. "I will be safe. I'm coming home." He kissed her forehead. "I'm not leaving you." That seemed to ease her worries.

"I love you Jay."

"I love you too, sis." He kissed her forehead again. "Work on that proposition for that youth centre. I'll see you tonight. Maybe we can go out to Molly's."

She nodded. "Sounds great." As Jay headed out the apartment door, Jeslyn couldn't shake the sinking feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

Jeslyn was nearing the end of her proposal to submit to the city for her youth outreach program when she noticed how late it was. She checked her cell for any missed calls or texts. There was nothing. Jay should've contacted her by now. She called the 21st District.

Nadia answered on the third ring. "Intelligence, Nadia speaking."

"Hi Nadia. It's Jes. Is Jay around?"

"Uh, no. They just suited up. They finally caught a break in the case."

"Oh. Okay. He's doing his job. I'll wait for him to call, I guess."

"Hey, Jes." Nadia's voice changed. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just worry about my big brother. Can you ask him to call me when they get back in?"

"Sure. Don't worry so much, Jes. You'll get grey hair. He's got the best people watching his back."

* * *

 **After the shootout with Bembenek's men…**

The team was finally back at the District. They debriefed and Jay set to filing all the necessary paperwork for firing his weapon and killing a suspect. It had been a good shoot. Jacob had opened fire first. There was a knock at the door.

"Hey Jay?"

"Yeah, Nadia?" Jay looked up from his report. "What's up?"

"Jeslyn called while you were out."

Jay became worried and it was reflected in his eyes and voice. "Is she alright? Something happen at home?"

"No. She sounded worried about her big brother. She asked for you to call her."

"Shit. Alright. Thanks."

Nadia left and Jay smacked the table. He'd forgotten to call. She must've been worried out of her mind. He grabbed his cell and dialled. "Hey, Jes."

"Thank God! I was getting worried."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't call. This case blew wide open."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. There was a shoot out, but I'm fine. I promise." He changed the subject. "How's the proposal going?"

"It's done. Now I just need support from the community and character references. Then I can get it up to City Hall for approval."

"I think we might have a way to work around that."

"Thanks."

Jay smiled. He could hear the relief in her voice. "You up to go out tonight?"

"Uh, sure. Can someone come pick me up?"

Jay had to laugh. "Definitely. See ya soon, sis."

"Love you Jay."

"Love you too." He ended the call and set to finishing the report.

* * *

Jes finished getting ready. She was applying a final coat of lip-gloss when the doorbell rang. "Who is it?"

"Kevin Atwater. Jay sent me."

Jes peeked through the peephole. "Oh! Hi!" She unbolted the door. "Jay didn't say who'd be coming."

"I volunteered. Need any help with anything?"

"No, thank you." She grabbed her cell and purse. "Shall we?"

Kevin smiled. "We shall."

* * *

Ruzek was enjoying drinks with Jay and Sylvie, the new paramedic at 51. He saw Atwater open the door for Jay's sister. She was a knockout. He was happily dating Burgess and he would never change that, but it was hard not to notice her. He pointed to the door. "Your sister's here."

Jay got up to greet her. "Hey. Everything good?"

"Yeah. So Atwater said he's got a line on a place."

Jay cocked his head to the side. "Did he now?"

"Yeah. He showed me some pictures. Looks perfect. It's a three bedroom. Great kitchen space."

"Of course. Well, you wanna go check it out?"

"Yes! Please? Soon?"

"Let's talk to Gaby. Hey boyfriend, Matt, works construction. He can make sure it's up to code."

Jes giggled as he walked her over to the bar. "Hey Gaby!"

"Hey Jay." A petite Latina came to greet them. "Who's this?"

"Gabriela Dawson meet Jeslyn Bellamy."

The two shook hands. "You Jay's new girl?"

"Uh…" Jes looked between the two. "No. I'm his sister. Well, adopted sister."

"Well, it's nice to meet you." Gaby poured a shot. "On the house." She then turned to Jay. "You never mentioned you had a sister."

"I don't give my whole life story to everyone. But enough of that, we have a favour to ask."

"Shoot."

"Could we borrow Matt for a house inspection?"

"You buying a place?" Gaby was surprised.

"No. Jes is. She just moved back to Chicago."

"Sure." She waved at her boyfriend. "Hey! Matt! Come here a sec."

"Hey Gaby. Hi Jay." Matt shook Jay's hand. "Been a while."

"Yeah. This is my sister, Jes."

"Pleasure to meet you." Matt's smile was a million watts. "So what's up?"

"Jes has a place she'd like you to go over, you know. Before she buys it." Gaby smiled.

"Sure. When's good for you guys?"

Jay turned to see Atwater waving him back to the table. "Whatever works for her, works for me. I'll be right back."

Matt turned to Jes. "Any day in particular work for you?"

"I'm still getting settled, so whenever is good for you."

"Tomorrow?" Matt asked.

"Sure, as long as it's not interfering with your work."

"We're not on shift tomorrow." Gaby laughed. "It works."

With that the arrangement was made.

* * *

"Jay. What does your sister do?" Sylvie asked.

"She's a teacher." Jay was extremely proud. "She's actually working to get a youth program going. You know, to keep kids off the streets and get them some basic lifeskills."

"She's an angel." Atwater lifted his glass. "To those who dedicate their lives to kids."

With that, Ruzek took a call. When he came back he bore the news that Voight had beat suspension.

"I thought he was facing termination?" Atwater asked.

"Call it macaroni, dude. He beat it. He'll be back in the office tomorrow."

"Jay." Alvin Olinsky appeared out of nowhere.

"Jesus, Al." Jay jumped. "Learn to make more noise, man."

After introducing Al to Sylvie, Al asked to speak to Jay privately. "Oskar Bembenek just put a $100,000 bounty on your head for killing his brother, Jacob."

"Are you fucking with me, Al?" Jay asked.

Al shook his head. "Nope."

The two headed back to the table. Jay got there just in time to hear Ruzek making comments about Jes.

"If my teachers looked like that back when I was in high school, I might have paid more attention in class."

Olinsky smacked him outside the head. "That's one of your partner's sister. Don't talk about her like she's a piece of meat."

Jay just glared at Ruzek. "What am I supposed to tell Jes?"

Olinsky looked over to the bar where Jess and Gaby were chatting up a storm. "Nothing. You tell her absolutely nothing."

Jay knew Al was right, but he hated having to lie to his sister. He also didn't want her in the line of fire if this all went south.

"Hey guys." Antonio finally made his way to the team.

"Hey! About time!" Ruzek smiled. "What's your poison?"

"Scotch." Antonio collapsed on the stool next to Jay. "Everything okay buddy?"

Jay shook his head. "Bembenek just put a price on my head."

"Ah." Antonio looked him in the eye. "Well, it won't be the last time."

"It's not me I'm worried about." Jay looked towards the bar.

Antonio followed his gaze. "Who's that talking to Gaby and Matt?"

"My sister."

Antonio now understood everything. He felt a knot form in his gut. Jay had always known the risks of the job, but family members end up with targets on their back too. Rarely, did they ever get to why. "Shit."

* * *

 ** _A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. They're going to be long and will take longer to update… You'll notice that in future chapters there won't be as much reference to the show, or goes off canon…well that's the plan. Please let me know what you think! Thanks again!_ **


	3. Glad You Came

**A/N: Welcome to Chapter 2! So I am going to clear up one question I received a lot of messages about** **…** **Will from the Prologue that attacked Jes is not Will, Jay's brother from Chicago Med, just random happenstance that the names matched up. Will Halstead will be making appearances later in this story, give it time.**

 **Enjoy the chapter; please leave me a review once you've read it** **…** **I love to know what you guys think! Still dedicated to my amazing husband** **…**

 **Enjoy! Nicole**

* * *

Jay felt extremely uncomfortable lying to Jes, but Antonio and Al had said it was best that she didn't know. He trusted them because they had been on the force a lot longer than he had. If he was being perfectly honest, he was fine with a target on his back. It wasn't the first time; his squad had had targets on their backs all the time back in Afghanistan. He was fine with being a marked man, as long as it didn't end up on his sister's back too. The case they'd caught this time was tough, but his focus was more on Jes meeting with Atwater, Gaby and Matt about the house. He wished he could be with her, but Voight insisted he stay to keep an eye on Erin.

* * *

Atwater had arranged for them to do the inspection in the mid-morning. Jes waited for him to come pick her up. She was sad that Jay wouldn't be able to come but she knew it was because of work. Work was important. She also hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Jay was hiding something since last night. Maybe Kevin would be able to fill in some of the gaps, since he'd been the one who had spent most of the night with Jay. She was jolted from her train of thought when the doorbell rang.

"Jes? It's Kevin, you ready to go?"

"Coming!" She grabbed her bag and left. As she locked the door, she asked. "Is everything alright with Jay? He seemed a little off this morning."

Kevin Atwater knew the truth, but he also knew Jay didn't want Jes to know anything about the bounty on his head. "I think that he was probably a little on edge from the raid yesterday." He prayed that she'd believe him.

"Yeah, I guess. He mentioned that he had to shoot one of the suspects."

"Yeah. Even with all our training, taking a life still sucks."

Jes nodded. "Makes complete sense. So where's this house?"

"Ravenswood. It's a quiet neighbourhood. Lots of younger families and couples."

"Sounds good. What's the price range for houses out there?"

"It's a little bit high, but if you like the place, we'll negotiate a good price. The family already moved out. So we can close a deal pretty quick if you want."

"Sweet. You have a line on a vehicle yet?"

Kevin shook his head. "Not yet, but I am still looking. You really want a vehicle that bad, huh?"

"I'm kinda tired of paying for cabs or begging for rides. I'm starting to feel like I'm just a pain in the ass."

Kevin tried not to laugh. "I highly doubt that you a pain in the ass. I'll push harder for the car. But bright point, if you buy this place, you'll be closer to the 'L'."

"Well, that works. I guess. Not sure how Jay will feel about it, but what the heck. It'll be an adventure."

The remainder of the drive was spent discussing Jes' personal taste on vehicles. When they arrived, Matt and Gaby were already waiting for them.

"Where's Jay?" Asked Matt.

Atwater answered. "Voight's got him keeping Erin in line. He said if Jes was happy to go with it."

With that they went in and began the inspection.

* * *

Jay was busy filing a report on the last victim they'd discovered when Jes called. "Hey! How's the house look?"

"It's perfect. I want it."

"Any work need to be done?"

"Matt said it's really minor and he'd gladly do it for me."

"Then put in an offer."

"Jay…" She hesitated. "I actually already did."

"And?"

"It's ours. We can move in anytime."

"Wow, you're fast and efficient."

"Your buddy helped speed up the process. I need to know though. Am I putting my name or are we going to be joint owners in this?"

Jay thought about the current situation he was in. For her safety it was probably best if Jay's name didn't appear on the title. "Just put it under yours. This way, one day when you get married and have a family there won't be as much red tape to go through, you know? To get me off the title?"

"Haha." She laughed. "Marriage is so far away it isn't even funny. But you do present a valid point." She paused. "When do you wanna move?"

"I've got time off next week. It'll probably be easier then, and I can recruit some help."

"Cool."

"Jes, everything okay?"

"Yeah. I was just wondering if I could hang out with Gaby for a bit."

"Sure. I don't know why you're asking me. You're not a teenager anymore. You don't have a curfew. She's a good person to have as a friend."

"She said her brother works with you in Intelligence?"

"Yeah. Antonio. You missed meeting him last night."

"Probably. So you're okay with it?"

"Again, you don't have curfew. Go have fun. I'll see you later tonight."

"Be safe Jay."

"Always." He ended the call. He was hoping that by making new friends, Jes would get over the idea that she was cursed. He looked up as Antonio walked up to his desk. "Hey Antonio."

"Yeah?"

"You didn't tell Gaby about the price on my head, did you?"

"Gaby and I have no secrets."

"Shit."

Antonio looked up from his phone. "What?"

"Gaby and Jes are spending the rest of the day together."

"I doubt my sister will tell your sister that you pissed off a guy by killing his brother and now he put a bounty on your head. She knows those things can put everyone in danger. Remember, she saw what happened when I got shot the first time."

Jay nodded. "Fair enough. Could you ask her though? Just to cover my bases."

Antonio shook his head. "You don't want her to blab, you call her."

"Why can't you?"

"Because, this is your mess and we have to go interview a potential suspect. You can call Gaby from the car 'cause I'm driving."

Jay sighed. While he and Gaby were friends, they had another kind of history. He wasn't sure if Antonio knew that while undercover Jay had slept with Gaby. Granted, Antonio had just told him that Gaby and he had no secrets. He also wasn't sure how Antonio would react if he didn't know and he found out. Antonio had always been super protective of his sister. He needed, however, to guarantee that Gaby wouldn't blab to Jes about the bounty. He shrugged and followed Antonio to his car. While en route to Chicago Med, he dialled Gaby.

"Hello?"

"Hey Gaby. Is Jes there?"

"No, she's with Matt. They're looking at new faucet fixtures. Do you want me to get her?"

"No. I need to talk to you."

"Okay." She dragged out the end. "What's up?" Her voice had a hint of worry in it.

"Antonio told you about the price on my head?"

Gaby sighed. "Ya. Let me guess, Jes doesn't know and she can't find out?"

"You got it." Jay was relieved.

"Jay, a word to the wise. Don't always listen to Antonio or Voight when it comes to telling family about the job."

"What do you mean?" Jay looked at Antonio who was drumming on the wheel as they waited for the 'L' to pass.

"Why do you think Laura left?" She paused. "Because he kept things from her. She finally had had enough."

"He was protecting his family. The same way I'm trying to protect Jes."

"Sometimes, Jay. Sometimes the best way you can protect someone is by not hiding them from the realities of your job." She signed. "I won't tell her, but Jay, you're gonna have to. She isn't stupid. She knows something's up."

"I know. Thanks Gaby. For everything."

Antonio looked to his partner. "What did she say?"

"Not to take advice from you or Voight when it comes to family and the job. She said Jes has the right to know the truth."

Antonio parked the car and killed the engine. "Looking back now, yeah, there are things I wish I would've told Laura about the job. That doesn't matter, if I knew that keeping her in the dark was the only for her to let me leave the house every morning."

"Jes isn't Laura." Jay said as he got out of the car. "She's been through hell and back."

"Do what you feel is best, kid."

With that, the two detectives went to interview Dale Hansen.

* * *

Jay had had a long day. He wanted a drink before he went home. He stopped at one of his other favourite bars to have a whiskey. Maddie Callahan, the bartender was flirting with him as usual. While Jay thought Maddie was pretty and fun to be around, he was still more interested in Erin. His phone vibrated. He looked at the text. His heart dropped.

"I've gotta go." He threw down some money. "See ya later."

He booked it home. He met his landlord at the front doors of his apartment complex. "Was my sister in the apartment?"

The landlord shook his head. "No one was home."

When they got to the apartment, Jay saw the door had been forced. He stepped in. All his files were strewn across the apartment. Boxes and drawers had been emptied everywhere.

"They skipped all the good stuff." His landlord pointed to his computer and TV.

"Did… Did anyone else's apartment get broken into?"

"No. Just yours." With that, the landlord took his leave.

The knot in Jay's stomach tightened. They knew where he lived. They probably also knew he wasn't living here alone. He had no choice. At this point, the only way to keep Jes safe was to tell her the truth. He also had to find somewhere to stay until this blew over and he'd sadly have keep Jes away from him.

He dialled the one person he knew could help and trust. "Antonio?"

"Jay? What the fuck are you calling 'bout now?" Antonio sounded half asleep.

"Someone broke into my place. They tossed it."

That jolted Antonio into consciousness. "What!? When?!"

"Not sure. Nothing was taken, but the place is trashed."

"Was your sister home?"

Jay sighed. "No. Thank God. Gaby took her to Molly's to go over some reno plans or some damned thing that Matt has for her new place."

"Well, you guys can't stay there anymore. They know where you live."

"NO SHIT!" Jay tried to calm down. "Sorry, man. I just don't know what to do."

"You want me to come over? Figure this shit out?"

Jay looked around his apartment. "Yeah. Please."

"Be there in ten. In the mean time, call Gaby. Get her to stall your sister until we have a plan."

"Thanks Antonio." Jay ended the call then quickly dialled Molly's.

"Molly's, Brian speaking."

"Otis? It's Jay. Halstead. I need to talk to Gaby."

"You just missed her."

"What are you talking about?" Jay growled.

"They just left. Your sister wanted to go home. Her cell died or something."

"Fuck!" Jay kicked at the already damaged door. "Okay, sorry. Thanks Otis."

There wasn't any chance of stopping them. He'd gotten himself into one hell of a mess, and now Jes was getting dragged into it. He was so pissed with himself. He'd promised to protect her, and this wasn't protection.

"Jay?"

Jay spun, gun in hand, to see Antonio standing in the hall. "Hey. So, uh, Gaby and Jes are on their way here. I just called Molly's and I, I just missed them. She's gonna see all this, and fuck!"

Antonio put his hand on Jay's shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up, bro. It's not going to help you any." He looked around the main living space. "Jesus. Are you sure they didn't take anything?"

"Yeah. I think it's just a scare tactic. You know, we know where you live so watch your back."

"They did a damn good job." Antonio picked up a lamp. "You can't stay here."

"I know. Neither can Jes, but I also know that having the two of us together isn't a great idea either."

Antonio rubbed his chin. "You're probably right about that. I wouldn't put it past Bembenek to go after family to get to you."

"She doesn't know anyone here. She literally just got back here."

"What about Gaby? They seem to have clicked." Antonio suggested.

"I can't ask that of her. It's too risky."

"You think she doesn't know that? She's a firefighter for fuck's sake." Antonio understood where Jay was coming from, but Jay was forgetting that Gaby's job entailed as many risks as Jay's.

"I'll ask, but 'Tonio if something worse happens, I need Jes safe. With a cop."

"The only cops you can trust and can keep her safe are Voight, Olinsky and me."

"I know Voight would keep her safe, but no way. Not with IA still after him. Olinsky has more than his share of problems and you've got your own fish to fry."

"Jay." Antonio took a deep breath. "Family comes first. After what you did for me with the Pulpo thing and you saved Gaby. I owe you."

Jay's shoulders dropped. "I can't ask you to risk getting shot or killed."

"You're not asking. I'm volunteering." Antonio extended his hand. "If she needs more than Gaby, Matt and Severide to keep her safe, then I'll watch over her."

Jay shook his friend's hand. "Severide is one reason to keep Jes away from there. He'd better not think about getting in my sister's pants or we're gonna have some issues."

That eased the tension but not for long.

"Oh my God! What the fuck?!" Jeslyn's voice echoed down the hall.

Jay grabbed her arm and pulled her into the apartment. Gaby quickly followed.

"What happened?" Jes demanded shakingly.

"Jes, you need to sit." Antonio pulled up a chair for her.

Jes looked at him. "Who are you?"

"Antonio. Dawson." He extended his hand. "Gaby's brother and I work with Jay. He asked me to come."

Jes shook his hand. "Hi. So again, what the fuck happened here?"

Jay and Antonio explained the bounty and tried to explain why the apartment had been trashed.

"See Jay!" Jes bolted from the chair. "I told you! I'm cursed!" She collapsed to her knees and bawled.

Jay felt the same way that he had they day Jes found out that her father had been killed in action. He was frozen in place. Gaby went to catch her, but Antonio had been closer and faster.

"Hey. Hey." His voice was soft and consoling. "None of this is your fault." He pulled her a little closer. "This is sadly a risk of the job, but your brother isn't about to let anything happen to you. Our team won't let anything happen to him." He felt her tears soaking through his shirt. He looked up at Jay as if to say 'Do something!'.

Jay finally unfroze. "Antonio's right. We're gonna put an end to this." He turned to Gaby. "Can she stay with you guys? At least until we get to the end of this?"

Gaby nodded. "Definitely." She knelt next to her own brother. "Jes, hey. Let's go grab some of your things."

Jes was numb, but she nodded. With Antonio's help she got up. "Jay, where will you stay?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll figure it out. Okay? We'll get to the bottom of this. I promise." Jay pulled his sister into his arms and slowly rubbed her back. "Once this is all over, we'll move into the new place, and start fresh."

Jes sniffled. "I'm taking we can't be seen together until this is over."

Antonio nodded slowly. "It's for the best. But you can call him. I'll keep an eye on him."

With that Gaby and Jes went to gather some clothes and other necessities. Antonio turned to face Jay again. "Your sister is one tough cookie."

"You have no idea." Jay ran his hand through his hair. "I've gotta call Erin."

Antonio went to evaluate the rest of the damage. Voight was going to be pissed. Erin was off-limits but she lived far enough away to keep a good distance between Jay and Jeslyn. He turned to watch Gaby with Jes. She was definitely something else. He looked around. Olinsky was going to be hearing about this. Something had to be done. You don't mess with Intelligence.

"Jay?" Jes' voice was barely audible. "I'm ready."

Jay tried to smile for her. "Okay. We're going to get through this." He pulled her in and hugged her tightly. "I love you. I won't let anything happen to you." He wiped away a stray tear from her cheek.

"Jay, you need to promise me that you're not gonna keep secrets from me anymore."

Jay looked to Antonio. Antonio shrugged. "I promise." He kissed her cheek. "Now, go with Gaby and once I'm at my new place, I'll call you. Okay?"

"Okay." She hugged him tightly then went to leave with Gaby.

Jay motioned for Antonio to follow them, just to make sure they were safe. He then grabbed a few changes of clothes and left to meet Erin.

* * *

Erin came up to the bar and sat next to Jay. "You sleeping with her?" Nodding towards the bartender.

"What?! No!" He shook his head. "We played Scrabble in her apartment, like once."

"Uh huh. Sure." Lindsay took a sip of her drink. "So if I let you stay over, are we gonna play 'Scrabble'?"

"I'll be the perfect gentleman. Promise."

Erin caught the glimpse of a hooded figure in the doorway. Then she saw the gun. "Jay!" She tackled him to the ground and the hooded man opened fire in the bar.

* * *

Jes was pacing endlessly around Matt and Gaby's guest room. Jay should've called by now. Something was wrong. Jes was just about to dial Jay when the doorbell rang. She slowly made her way out of the guest room. She could hear hushed voices. That could only mean one thing.

"Antonio?" Gaby was surprised to see her brother again so soon. "Something wrong?"

He nodded sombrely. "Where's Jes?"

"Wearing out the carpet in the guest room." Matt said as he wrapped his arm around Gaby's waist.

"Antonio, what the fuck is going on around here?" Gaby's hushed tone was still harsh.

"Someone just shot up the bar where Jay was meeting Erin. Maddie Callahan took a round to the neck."

"Shit." Gaby looked behind Matt to see if Jes was within hearing range. "What now?"

"Voight wants Jay in protective custody." Antonio rubbed his jaw. "Jay wants me to bring Jes to my place."

"Uh, is that wise?" Matt asked. "You know with the situation with Laura and…"

Antonio shrugged. "I promised Jay that I'd watch over her. That's what I'm gonna do."

It was at that precise moment that Jeslyn poked her head around the corner. "What happened?" Jes tried to conceal the terror in her voice.

Antonio walked towards her. "Jeslyn, you should sit."

Jes shook her head. "Last time I was told that with that tone, I got news that my father was killed in action. I'll stand. Thanks."

Antonio understood her frustration. "While Jay was meeting with Erin to stay with her, someone came in and opened fire."

A small cry escaped Jes' throat.

"Jay's fine. But he's been put into protective custody until this is over."

"Oh God." Jes began to lose her balance. Antonio was quick to catch her. "Oh God."

"Jes, he's safe. He isn't leaving the District. Our boss is making sure of that. But Jay's worried about you."

"What? Why? Does he think I'm next?" She was hyperventilating.

Gaby jumped into action. She settled Jes down. The last thing anyone needed at this point was a full-blown panic attack. Once Antonio and Gaby had calmed Jes down, Antonio took to explaining the delicate situation. "Jeslyn, I can't begin to understand how difficult this must be for you. But I've been in your shoes, so has Gaby. Now, Jay has this target on him because he was doing his job. He didn't want this for you. He did say though that nothing can happen to you. That's why I'm here."

"You're here to bring me into Witness Protection?"

Antonio had to suppress the urge to laugh. "No. This isn't that kinda case. You're gonna stay at my house and uh, I'm gonna keep an eye on you."

Jes' jaw dropped. "Huh?"

"Jay made me promise. It's part of me owing him for saving Gaby's life a couple years back."

"But if you're watching me, who's gonna watch Jay?"

"He has a whole team keeping an eye on him."

Gaby jumped in at this point. "Don't forget, he's in a police station. There's really no safer place for him to be."

Gaby made a very valid point. Someone would have to have a death wish if they wanted to try and assassinate a detective inside of a police district. This was somewhat reassuring for Jes, but she couldn't hide at the district. She looked at Antonio. His face was kind and his tone filled with empathy.

"Okay." She whispered. "I'll go."

"I'll get her things." Matt volunteered.

Antonio helped Jes to her feet. "We'll get to the bottom of this. We always do. When it comes to family, no one messes with Intelligence."

Gaby nodded. "As much as Voight can be an ass, he's the kinda guy that takes this shit personally."

The Dawson siblings knew that all too well. They'd experienced Voight's intensity when Antonio's son had been kidnapped and again when Antonio had been shot during Pulpo's escape. Even Matt understood it since Voight had gone after him for telling the truth about Voight's son's involvement in a drunk driving collision back in 2012.

Matt returned with Jes' things. "Here, we'll walk you to the car."

Antonio's senses were heightened. He was vigilant of everything around them. It was unlikely that he had been followed but he wasn't about to let his guard down until this whole situation was resolved. As soon as Jes was safely in the car, he shook Matt's hand and hugged Gaby.

"Keep us in the loop?" Gaby asked.

Antonio nodded. "Always. No secrets, remember?"

"If she needs anything, or you need someone to stay with her, give me a call." Gabby added.

"Definitely." With that, Antonio got in the car and slowly headed towards his own house.


	4. Hard to Concentrate

_**A/N: Welcome back! So, I've had this chapter handwritten for a week, but because of school and work, I haven't gotten around to typing it out. Here it is! Finally chapter 3! As always, please read and review… Love always to my editor and Spanish guide, my amazing husband. All of the Spanish that will appear from this point on is true Dominican Spanish and is direct from my Dominican's mouth. If you'd like a translation, please let me know…**_ _ **Love, Nicole!**_

* * *

Jay was pacing around Intelligence. The others watched him, unsure of what to say or do. "What the fuck takes so long for Antonio to get Jes to safety?"

"Jay…" Erin tried to calm him, but he batted her hand away.

"Halstead, Antonio will take as long as necessary to ensure your sister's safety. You know that." Voight stood in the doorway of his office. "You need to stop wearing a hole in my floor."

"I can't." Jay threw his arms in the air. "It's one thing for me to wear a target on my back, but it's a whole other thing for my friends and family to have to take a bullet for me."

Voight looked at Olinsky. Olinsky nodded, grabbed his coat and left the bullpen. They had to end this.

"Jay, sit." Erin pointed to his chair. "Antonio will call as soon as Jes is safe."

"I just need to hear her voice." He fought back the tears that threatened to overtake him. He'd seen a lot of violent and death, but this situation trumped it all. Now, he understood what the families of victims felt like when they were delivering this news.

* * *

Antonio took the somewhat scenic route to get home. This was to throw anyone that could possibly have been following him. He pulled into the garage and shut the door. "We're here. You'll be safe here."

Jes was trembling. He didn't know if it was from a chill in the night or the overwhelming fear she was feeling. He got out and went around to open the door for her.

She looked up at him. "Thank you." She took his pre-offered hand and got out of the car. She looked around. Then she saw them, two children's bicycles. The panic was coming back. "Is my being here putting your family in danger?"

Antonio took both her hands in his. "No. Uh, my wife, she uh left, and took the kids about 2 months back. I live alone here now."

"Oh." She could see sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. My job is the reason Laura left. I don't think she's coming back. I'll just have to accept that…" Antonio sighed. "I just miss my kids."

Jes wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't sure how. She settled on what Jay had always done for her. She hugged him. It took Antonio by surprise, but he hugged her back. It felt good to have human contact again.

He finally broke the hug. "Hey, your brother is probably going crazy waiting to hear from you. Let's get you settled so you can give him a call." He grabbed her bag. "Follow me."

Antonio showed her to the guestroom. "Once you've talked to Jay, I'll give you the grand tour. You have access to anything you need here. If you need something, I'll get it for you. Gaby said she'd come stay with you while I go to the District to get an update. If you need to go anywhere, call me and we'll figure something out. Until this is all over, you won't be going anywhere alone."

"Okay." She tried to smile. "Can I talk to Jay now?"

Antonio nodded. He dialled Jay at the District.

"Antonio? What the fuck took so long?! Is she okay?!" Jay rambled on.

"Jay. Jay! Calm down!" Antonio took a breath. "She's fine. I explained what's going on and well, she got upset." He signalled to Jeslyn to come to the phone. "Here she is." He handed her the phone.

"Jes?"

"Jay!" The release she felt from hearing his voice was exhilarating. "Why's this all happening?"

"Because I did my job and the big bad guy didn't like it."

"So how long am I stuck here?"

"Being stuck with Antonio's not the worst thing that could happen. He's my best friend here."

* * *

Antonio left Jes to talk to her brother in private. He went to make sure the house was secure. He knew that for the immediate future, Jay and Jes would have extremely limited contact. He could only imagine how hard it would be. Then he realized, in reality he was already living it. He missed Eva and Diego. He walked by their rooms and silently wished they could be home with him. In the last few weeks, he had become less determined to save his marriage. It was obvious that Laura was done and he was just wasting energy trying to win her back. He went to change into something more comfortable and waited for Jeslyn to be done talking to Jay.

* * *

"Look, Jes, I didn't want this. Ever." Jay pleaded for her to calm down. "You're not cursed."

"I highly doubt that." Jeslyn pouted. "You trust him?"

"He'd take a bullet for you. Not that he'll have to." He added quickly. "I'm sorry Jes."

She sighed. "You've apologized at least half a dozen times since Antonio called you. It's fine. I'm just a little pissed off." She paused. "Is the girl who got shot gonna be okay?"

It was Jay's turn to sigh. "She's in the ICU. As soon as they know something, they'll update us."

"Okay. I'll say a prayer for her."

Jay smiled. Jes' faith system was strong and was why she'd done so well in life despite all the roadblocks that had been thrown her way.

"Hey Jay?"

"Yeah, sis?"

"We need to discuss dating when this is all over."

Jay's cheeks burned on the other end of the line. "I'm pretty sure you already had that talk." He looked around; hoping no one else was in hearing range.

"Not the sex talk!" She gasped. "Like what's going to happen when I start dating."

Antonio was walking back towards the guest room just in time to hear that part of the conversation. He stopped dead in his tracks. What on Earth were they talking about? He stood close to the door. He felt like he was in high school again, spying on Gaby. While that nostalgia felt good, there was also some pain. He had been with Laura since their Junior year. He pushed away that pain. Once this was all said and done, he'd fight for his children and move on. _'Maybe someone like Jeslyn would be good for me.'_ He thought. Then he stopped himself. _'Where the fuck did that come from?'_ He shook his head and went to get a glass of water.

"Well Jes, as long as he's a good guy and treats you right, there where won't be any issues." Jay laughed. "Also, I don't want you dating any cops, well actually I don't want you dating first responders."

Jes was shocked. "And why the hell not?!"

"Because Jes. You need someone who's going to be guaranteed to come home to you every night."

"There's a risk of someone not coming home the instant they leave the house in the morning." Jes countered. "There's no guarantee for anyone. Unless you want me to date some loser who's unemployed and still lives in his mom's basement?"

"Now you're being ridiculous."

"No, I'm being realistic. I'm almost 26, Jay. Remember, my birthday is next month. I'm pretty sure I can date who I want."

"When this is all over, we'll talk about it, but for now I want you to relax and do whatever Antonio tells you to."

"Fine. But this discussion is so not over. Far from it."

Jay couldn't help himself. He had to laugh. "Oh, I know. You won't let this go until you've argued yourself blue in the face."

"Don't forget, it's that stubbornness that helped keep you out of trouble your senior year."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, Jay. One last thing, Gaby Dawson, is she the same Gaby you had that thing with a couple years back?"

"Uh huh."

"Does Antonio know?"

"No. And don't you dare tell him!"

"Scared?"

"Jes, he's a boxer. He'd be able to beat me to a pulp. He already wants to spar with me at the gym, what do you think he'll do if he finds out I slept with his sister?"

Now everything made sense. "Alright big brother. My lips are sealed."

"I gotta go Jes. I love you."

"I love you too Jay."

"Pass me back to Antonio, and you'd better listen to him."

"Yes sir." She looked around. "Antonio?"

"Coming." His distant voice replied. He poked his head in. "You need something?"

"Jay wants to talk to you." She held out his cell phone. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall. Second door on the right." He pointed in the general direction.

"Thank you." She left to let them talk so she could splash some cold water on her face.

"Antonio?"

"Yeah, Jay. I'm here." He was unsure of what more needed to be said.

"She'll be safe tomorrow?"

"Matt and Gaby are coming while I'm at work. They know she's never to be left alone."

"Good. Thanks again, man."

"You took a bullet for Gaby and saved Molly's from being burned to the ground. I owe."

"Alright, well make sure she gets some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't worry Jay, she's safe here." He ended the call. He'd never reveal to either of them that he had overheard the majority of their conversation. He walked out into the hallway, only to crash into Jes, who was coming back from the bathroom. "Oh my God. I'm sorry Jes."

She laughed. "It's okay." She flushed red. "I wasn't really watching where I was going." She couldn't help but notice how strong his arms were or how hard his body was. She had to remind herself that he was Jay's friend. He was off-limits.

"Well, Gaby and Matt will be by to stay with you while I go to the District and try to help end this."

"Oh, okay. Uh, do you mind if I cook?"

Antonio looked at her. "Kind of an odd question."

"I bake or cook when I'm stressed."

"Ah. Sure, you may need to go shopping, but Matt and Gaby will be able to help you with that."

"You don't have groceries?" Jes then realized how stupid that sounded.

"Since Laura took Eva and Diego, I've been eating out a lot, or Gaby will bring me some meals."

"Oh." She pondered that for a minute. "They didn't trust you to cook?"

"Something like that. I can cook, it's just with my hours, it's hard to be home on time to cook healthy meals. However, I did hear Ruzek and Atwater raving about the lunch you brought in the other day."

"You didn't get any?"

He shook his head. "I was out meeting with an informant."

"Oh. Well, if it's okay with you, I can make supper tomorrow night."

"I'd like that. You should maybe get some sleep. The grand tour can wait until tomorrow morning."

"Thank you again. I know you probably didn't have babysitting on your agenda."

He smiled. "It's really no trouble. Have a good night, well as good as possible. If you need anything, I'm at the end of the hall. Don't hesitate. Nothing is too small." He turned to leave.

Jes couldn't help herself. She saw how low his CPD sweats sat on his hips. He was a very good-looking man. She wasn't sure if he knew she was staring, but he left the room and padded down the hall. She shook her head. "Snap out of it Jes!" She scolded herself quietly so Antonio wouldn't hear her. "He's going through a lot and you've got a target on your back. Not to mention he's Jay's best friend." She went through her bag and grabbed her nightshirt. She shut the door and began to change. It was weird to be doing this in a stranger's house, but at the same time it felt as if she'd known Antonio for longer than two days. She crawled under the blankets and lay down. A thousand thoughts were passing through her head; most of them were about Antonio. He was stuck in her brain and while she knew it was wrong, it felt so goddamn right.

* * *

Antonio was going over everything that had happened. Even though every second thought was about the young woman down the hall. She was gorgeous and had a great personality. Then that thought led to _'She's your best friend's sister and she's also about 10 years younger than you. There's no way a girl…'_ No, wait. She wasn't a girl. _'Woman'_ he corrected himself. _'There's no way a woman like her would want to be with someone as old as me and that has kids half her age.'_ Suddenly, all the thoughts and feelings overwhelmed him. "Fuck!" He growled. He stripped and got into the shower, setting the water to ice cold. After standing under the frigid jets for about 10-15 minutes, he turned off the water and towelled off. He pulled on his sweats and hopped into his empty bed. Sleep came, but it certainly wasn't restful.

* * *

Antonio awoke to the sound of crashing coming from the kitchen. He grabbed his sidearm from his bedside table. He wasn't sure of what was going on, but he knew he was still supposed to be protecting Jes. He needed to check on her. He walked to the guest room. The door was closed and the light was off. _'She must still be asleep.'_ He thought. Who on Earth could be in his house? He was certainly on edge. He rounded the corner to hear muttering.

"Calice de tabernak! Qui range leur frigo comme ça? C'est un dégas!"

He didn't understand a word of what was being said but he knew damn well there was someone in his kitchen.

"Que peux-je faire avec ce dégas?"

"CPD FREEZE!" He shouted as he entered the kitchen, gun drawn.

"AH!" A dozen eggs went flying from the fridge as Antonio came face-to-face with a clearly terrified Jeslyn. "Jes?" He asked.

"OH MY GOD!" Jes shrieked as she saw the gun pointed at her.

Antonio looked at his hand. "I'm so sorry." He put the gun on the counter. "What are you doing in here?" It was then that he saw the clock on the wall. "It's 5:30."

"Jay gets up around this time. I get up with him and make him breakfast."

Antonio's heart ached for her. She'd just started a new routine with Jay and she didn't want it to stop. "I didn't know. I'm sorry. Do you need any help?"

She looked at the puddle of eggs. "Uh, you got a mop?"

He laughed. "I'll get it. There should be more eggs in the fridge." He went to go get the mop.

She found the other dozen eggs that Antonio had mentioned. As she closed the fridge, Antonio returned mop in hand. Antonio cleaned up the mess while Jes waited patiently.

"I'm really sorry for pulling the gun on you. I thought you were still sleeping."

She cracked a small smile. "No, I just… It's fine. I didn't mean to wake you."

His alarm began to sound from his bedroom. "I would've been getting up anyway. I'll be right back." He grabbed his side arm and went to turn off the alarm. Jes couldn't help but stare. His sweatpants hung precariously low on his hips and his shirtless body was tantalizing. He was hot. There was no way Jes could deny it. She hoped she wasn't drooling when he came back. She turned to continue looking for ingredients to make breakfast. Antonio hadn't been lying when he said he didn't have much in the pantry.

"Finding everything alright?"

Jes jumped again. "Jesus Christ!" Luckily, the eggs were safe on the counter. "What is it with you Intelligence guys? Are you all secretly mice?"

"Not that I know of." He cocked his head to the side and gave her a goofy grin. "Sorry. Part of being a Marine is moving with stealth, plus if we made a bunch of noise the bad guys would hear us coming a mile away."

"You served too?"

"Most guys in Intelligence have in some way."

"Huh. Interesting. So I was going to make apple cinnamon pancakes…"

"But, I don't have the right stuff?" Antonio finished.

She nodded. "I don't want to be that annoying house guest, but I'd really like to go shopping." She was starting to see a pattern here. "I'll pay, since I'm basically a pain in the ass."

Antonio laughed. "It's no problem. I'll ask Gaby and Matt to take you." He looked at the time. "I've gotta change and get ready for work. Be right back."

Jes turned away and got some of the necessary ingredients for French toast. At least, there was enough food in the Dawson house to make that basic dish. She was so focused on the French toast, that she didn't hear Antonio come back into the kitchen.

He took the time to fully observe Jes. She was about 5'5" with curves in all the right places. Her long ebony hair was pulled into a high, messy ponytail. Her long nightshirt lifted a little as she reached for plates. He saw the brief outline of her underwear. The purple lace popped against her tanned thighs. He had to look away as his mind wandered to places that were really inappropriate for him to be with his best friend's little sister. When he turned back, she was humming a catchy tune while wiggling her very round behind. He told himself to pull it together, that she was Jay's sister. He tried to remind himself that he was still technically married, even though it had been over two months since Laura had taken off with Eva and Diego. Part of him played into that, reminding him that he was still a man and had needs. While his conscience passed between the angel and the devil, Jes tried tapping him on the shoulder.

"Antonio?" She asked.

He snapped out of his internal conflict. "Yeah?"

Her glasses were on the tip of her nose. She pushed them up. They framed her face beautifully and made her hazel eyes pop. He hadn't noticed her glasses before. She must wear contacts during the day. "Everything okay?" She asked as she pushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen loose.

"Yeah. Sorry. Spaced out." He looked at the counter. "Smells heavenly."

"Do you have time to eat… before you know?" She offered him a fork.

Antonio looked at his watch. He did have time before shift, but it would mean that he'd miss his daily boxing workout. _'She's totally worth it.'_ His subconscious argued. "Sure thing. I'd love that."

"Here you go." She sat on the stool across from him. "I, uh, couldn't find anything other than chocolate ice cream topper to put with it."

Antonio couldn't restrain himself. He laughed hard. He knew that he needed to fill that pantry. "Chocolate French toast sounds good to me. I, uh, I guess I really do need more groceries, don't I?"

Jes' mouth was full so she nodded in agreement.

"Gaby said she'll take you once she and Matt get here."

"I'm really sorry about being such a pain."

"Hey." He took her hand. "None of this is your fault. It sucks, but I PROMISE to be a good host and take good care of you."

Jes blushed. "Thank you." She reached to wipe away a smudge of chocolate sauce from his cheek.

The instant her finger touched his skin they both felt a shock. They both jumped. "Wow!" Antonio exclaimed. They broke into a fit of laughter. "Who knew French toast could be so electrifying?"

Jes nodded sheepishly.

Antonio finished his plate and asked if Jes was done. She nodded again, licking a little of the chocolate sauce off her fingers. He collected the dishes and put them in the sink. "Don't worry about doing the dishes. I'll do them when I come back."

"But… But…"

He put his hand up to stop her. "No 'buts'. In my house, the cook never cleans."

"Nice rule."

"That's always translated to 'I'm the dishwasher'." He grinned.

She looked around the kitchen. "Why don't you actually use the dishwasher?"

"I do. If I actually have a full load to do, but…" He let the sentence trail off.

Jes knew what he meant. He didn't really have full loads to do since his family was gone. "Do you cook?" She changed the subject, since he had mentioned it last night.

"Some. I was never really 'allowed' in the kitchen but I can grill like nobody's business."

She smiled. "See I cook and bake but can't grill a steak to save my life."

"Jay never taught you?" When she shook her head, he added. "I'll teach you some time."

"I'll hold you to that Detective."

Antonio loved the way she said 'Detective'. He looked at the clock. "I gotta run. Gaby and Matt will be here soon. See ya after shift." He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Jeslyn's face burned.

"Sorry. Uh, old habit." Antonio grabbed his bag and headed out. He met Gaby and Matt at the door. "She's just getting ready."

"What's with the smile bro?" Gaby lightly punched his arm.

"Nothing."

"Even I can tell you're lying." Matt jumped in. "And I didn't grow up with you."

Antonio looked at the ground. "She made breakfast, and well, it's just nice to have someone in the house." He jogged to his car. "I'll see you guys after shift. Thanks."

Matt turned to Gaby as Antonio pulled out of the driveway. "That was weird right?"

She shrugged and headed into the house. "Jes? It's Gaby."

"I'm just getting changed. I'll be about 5 minutes."

"Don't rush. We'll wait. There really isn't any rush."

Matt and Gaby sat in the kitchen and began discussing Antonio's odd behaviour. Jes walked in and overheard them saying that it was possible that Antonio was moving on and how it was a good thing. She wiped the surprised look from her face and made her presence known.

"Hey! You ready to go?" Gaby was unsure of how much Jes had heard of their conversation.

Jes nodded. "I made a list, but um, I was wondering, if maybe, you know. Maybe you could help me make a traditional Dominican dish, you know, like paella? For supper tonight?" She added hastily. "To thank Antonio, for all of this."

Matt shot Gaby a look she knew all to well and he headed to his truck.

"Sure, but Antonio's allergic to shellfish, so I wouldn't make paella."

"Oh." Jes realized it was something they had in common. "What would you recommend then?"

Gaby smiled. She had a plan now. "I'll teach you my mom's recipe for arroz con pollo picante."

"Spicy chicken and rice?"

"You speak Spanish?" Gaby was surprised.

"Not really. I speak French and some of the words in Spanish sound the same."

"Cool. Yeah. That dish is one of his all-time favourites."

"Thanks. I really want to thank him for everything that he's done for Jay and what he's doing for me. Now."

 _'I think they're interested in each other.'_ Gaby thought. _'I can work with that.'_ She knew Antonio deserved to be happy again. While she completely understood why Laura left, she thought it was a low blow to up and leave without any warning. The fact that she took Eva and Diego made it that much harder on him. His children were his life. He would lay his life down to keep them safe. "It's who Antonio is. Jay is like family to him, so that makes you family too."

The two left arm in arm to join Matt in the truck. Soon they were off on a shopping adventure that would eventually lead to big changes in everyone's life.

* * *

 _ **Some time later…**_

Laughter rang out from the kitchen as Gaby showed Jeslyn the simple, yet complicated family recipe for arroz con pollo picante. Matt was going over his reno plans for Jes' new house. There weren't any major issues with it; most of the work was for aesthetic reasons. He jumped when Gaby wrapped her arms around him. "I thought you were in the kitchen playing Master Chef?"

"Jes had got it. She's a quick study. How's it going out here?"

Matt shrugged. "It's pretty straight forward. Once this craziness dies down, it'll take about 2 days to adjust these details. It'll be perfect for her."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Matt turned to face her. She had a mischievous look on her face. "I think I do. Do you think it would work?"

"Why not? It's so obvious she's good for him! I haven't seen him smile like that in months."

"What about her?"

"She's into him. It's so obvious. You saw her while we were shopping. I don't think this is just is about a thank you. She's clearly trying to impress him."

"Hmm." Matt put the reno plans away. "Think they'll clue into all this on their own, or will they need help?"

"Help. Definitely." Gaby grinned. "I'll come up with a plan."

"What if Laura comes back?"

"Highly unlikely. Eva texted me. She told me that Laura's been 'going out' since last weekend."

"Tread carefully Gaby. I don't want this blowing up in our faces if this doesn't work."

"Why wouldn't it? They both deserve to be happy."

"What about Jay?"

Gaby cocked her head to the side. "What about him?"

"Do you honestly think he'd want his little sister dating a cop?" He added. "A cop who's also a close friend and a partner?"

She hadn't thought about it. "It shouldn't matter. They're both adults. Jay can't control who she dates."

"He thinks he can." Jes' voice surprised Matt and Gaby.

"How much did you overhear?" Matt questioned.

"Just that last bit." Jes' face was a deep crimson. "Jay does think he can tell me who I can and can't date."

"That's ridiculous!" Gaby exclaimed. "You're not a teenager."

"Even then." Matt pointed out.

"Well, according to him, I can date cops, or firefighters, or paramedics because the job is too dangerous."

"Bullshit!" Gaby was pissed. "He's basically dating his partner."

"I know." Jes pushed her hair behind her ear. "I also explained that unless a guy never leaves his house, no job is ever 100% safe."

"Good for you!" Gaby high-fived her. "How's everything in the kitchen?"

"Good. How long before it's ready?"

"It'll be ready for when Antonio gets back."

"Will you guys be staying for supper?"

Matt shook his head. "We have plans already, but thanks. By the way, that dish is addicting."

* * *

 _ **Half an hour later…**_

Antonio pulled into the driveway. He was physically and emotionally drained. This Bembenek think was all too much. Jay was at his wits end and Antonio didn't blame him. He still remembered what it was like when Diego had been kidnapped. He got out of the car and stretched. He took a deep breath and caught a whiff of something familiar coming from the house. He walked to the door, not wanting to scare anyone, rang the bell before walking in. "Hey. I'm home."

"Just in time for supper." Gaby hugged her big brother.

"You guys not staying?" Antonio looked to Matt.

"Nah. We made plans for tonight." Matt shook his future brother-in-law's hand.

"Just enjoy dinner and have fun." Gaby kissed his cheek and bolted out the door.

Antonio was stumped. He scratched his head and made a mental note to talk to Gaby later. "Jeslyn?"

"I'm in the kitchen!" She called back.

Antonio quickly put his coat away and followed his nose to the kitchen. "Smells divine. What's cooking?" It smelled really familiar.

"Gaby taught me your family's recipe for arroz con pollo picante."

He was surprised at how flawlessly she pronounced it. "Uh huh." He lifted the lid. "Looks ready. You ready to eat?"

"Just finishing this salad and we're good to go."

Antonio took to setting the table and they sat to eat their meal.

* * *

 _ **Bedtime (about 11pm)**_

Antonio had let Jes go to soak in the tub in the ensuite, so he set to doing the dishes. He had to admit that Jes was one hell of a cook. He was also impressed at how driven and mature she was. Despite only being 25, she wanted to start a youth centre in the 21st District to get the at-risk youth off the street. She only needed enough money to get it off the ground. He'd talk to Platt about seeing what the District could do to help and Voight to see if he could help. He'd also ask Gaby to check with Firehouse 51. As first responders, they knew how many people could be saved by a place for teens to go to just to hang out or learn life skills that would better their lives. He was drying the dishes when he began to think as to why Gaby had been in such a hurry to leave. She'd taught Jes his favourite dish and how to make it like their mom did. Was she trying to set him up with Jes? He shook his head. While Jes was beautiful and spirited, she was off limits. He also couldn't forget that he'd been married once before, was still legally married. He had two children. That was a lot of baggage to bring into a new relationship. Jay would kill anyone who'd hurt Jes, even if that person were one of Jay's closest friends. He remembered the conversation Jay had had with Jes earlier. He hadn't meant to overhear it but Jay had made it clear. He'd also made it clear in the bullpen earlier today when Ruzek cracked a joke about setting Jes up with Roman. Jes wasn't going to date a cop. Antonio knew however that Jes wasn't about to let her big brother dictate whom she could and couldn't date. He sighed. He wasn't sure of what all to make of this, so he finished putting the dishes away and left a note on the counter for Jes. "Gone to basement." He wrote. He needed to work out some of his frustrations, so his punching bag would have to suffice.

* * *

Jes was enjoying the warmth of the Jacuzzi and pondered the day's events. Shopping with Gaby and Matt had been fun. She'd learned a lot about how things worked in Chicago now compared to when she came over a decade ago. She then thought about dinner with Antonio. That meal had been different than those she'd had with Jay or any other of her friends back in Canada. It felt almost like a date. Almost. Not that she'd been on a date in years. She sighed. She couldn't deny that Antonio was attractive. He was hot, sexy. It was that simple. Just thinking about him made her body react in way that it hadn't reacted in a long time. She tried to clear her mind of him, but the image of him with his sweats hanging off his hips wouldn't leave her mind. She got out of the Jacuzzi and towelled off. She threw on her nightshirt and went in search of her Dominican bodyguard. He wasn't in the living room or in the kitchen, but there was a note for her on the counter. She headed to the basement. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could hear punches landing hard on a punching bag. She could also hear him muttering in what she could only assume was Spanish.

"Tanto…" Another punch landed. The chain holding the bag rattled. "Que me gusta…" His punches landed harder between each part of what he was saying. "Esa tipa… Pero… Es… La Hermana… de Jay… y no… puedo… marcharie… Qué vaina… Carajo!" The last punch landed with a loud grunt of frustration.

She wasn't sure what he was saying but she was sure it had something to do with Jay. She cleared her throat.

Antonio swung around. His body was dripping with sweat; his boxing shorts were slung low on his trim hips. Jes bit her lip. "Hey, everything okay?" He took off his gloves.

"Oh. Yeah. Thanks for letting me use your Jacuzzi. It helped relieve a lot of stress."

"Anytime."

"Did Jay do something to piss you off?"

"No, why?" Antonio was taken aback. He wiped his face with the towel that had been on the bench next to him.

"You were saying his name when you were beating the shit out of that bag."

Antonio had been unaware that Jes had overheard him. He didn't want her to know that he was taking his anger of him having feelings for her out on the punching bag, so he lied. "It was about this whole situation. Your brother is one of my closest friends. I don't like what's going on right now."

"Uh huh." Jes didn't buy it. She knew that 'hermana' meant sister in Spanish, but she didn't say anything. "I'm getting ready to hit the hay. Did you need anything?"

Antonio shook his head as he took a drink from his water bottle.

"Okay, well, I'll see you in the morning." She turned to leave.

"Good night Jes. Thanks again for supper."

She turned back. "It really wasn't a problem. It was nice… to… uh yeah." She could feel her cheeks burn. A blind man could she how she felt, but she still prayed that Antonio was oblivious.

He smiled. "Go, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Hopefully we can get your life back to normal soon."

With that Jes headed back to her room. She was asleep instantly. Antonio took a quick shower and went to lie down. He was just dozing off as a blood-curdling scream came from down the hall.

* * *

 _ **Well, there you have it! I'm working on Chapter 4. It may take time to get it up. Please be patient. It'll all be worth it! Love you all! Please r & r!**_


	5. Just A Dream

_**A/N : Well, it's finally here, Ch. 4! I know updates are slow, and I apologize, but I am a perfectionist when it comes to this. Also, my editor (AKA hubby) proofreads it and spellchecks everything for me. A warning, this chapter deals with senstive subject matter (rape, assault and attempted murder). If this isn't your cup of tea, I understand. Again, please read and review, they're always appreciated.**_

 _ **Love Nicole!**_

* * *

Antonio bolted into action. He grabbed his sidearm and ran down the hall. He tried to open the door, but it was locked from the inside. He would deal with replacing it later. He threw all of his weight and strength behind his shoulder as he took down the door. He did a sweep of the room. Jes was in bed and there was no one in the room. _'Maybe I dreamt it?'_ He thought to himself. He was proven wrong when Jes began to cry out in her sleep. "Shit!" He exclaimed. Jes was suffering a night terror. He put his gun on the nightstand. The last thing she'd need was to see a gun pointed at her if she woke up.

He remembered the nightmares Diego had suffered after being taken by Pulpo's hitman. He knew what to do but it was different with an 8-year-old child than with his partner's 25-year-old sister, to whom he was attracted. He went to the side of the bed. "Jes." He tried a little louder. "Jes?" It was no use. Whatever nightmare she was having, she was in it deep. He tried shaking her shoulder while calling her name. It was no use. There was one last resort, and while he wasn't a fan of it, he had to try. While shaking her, he tapped her cheeks. It wasn't gentle but at the same time, it wasn't a full forced slap. "Jeslyn!" He shouted. "Wake up! You're safe now!"

With that, Jes sat up straight in bed, gasping for air. Panicked, she tried to regain her bearings. Antonio gently held her shoulders. "Slow your breathing. It's okay. You're safe. It's me. Antonio." He kept his voice as calm as he could, but she had him very worried.

Jes' breathing began to slow, but she was still trembling. Her daze slipped away and her eyes focused on Antonio. "Oh my God!" She cried. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I… I…" She broke down and began to sob.

Antonio let his paternal instincts kick in. Whether he was attracted to her or not, she needed to be comforted. He sat on the bed facing her and pulled her into his arms. Her body was wracked with sobs, and her tears slid down his chest. He gently rubbed the small of her back and slowly began to rock beck and forth. He hummed one of the lullabies his mother used to sing to him, and he used to sing to his children. He let her cry it out, then he would try to talk to her. Her sobs began to slow. She looked up into his eyes. Fear still filled them, and there was something else there. "Jes, it's going to be okay. You're safe here."

She was shaking a little less. " I didn't mean for this to happen."

"For what to happen?" He kept rubbing her back, knowing that it was tried and true calming technique.

"To wake you up. To scare you…" She sniffed.

"Yeah, you scared the hell out of me, that's for sure. But, I'll tell you that I'd rather deal with a nightmare over you being kidnapped or hurt."

"I'm sorry." A single tear fell.

Antonio gently brushed it away. "It's not your fault, Jeslyn. Don't apologize. I'd rather tell Jay you had a nightmare than have to call in the cavalry because something had happened to you."

Jes bolted up out of his arms. "No!"

"No what?"

"No, you can't tell Jay. He can't know."

"Jes, you're gonna have to be a little more clear for me now."

She sighed. "If Jay knows I'm still having these nightmares, he'll send me back home."

"But your home is in Chicago now."

"It won't be." She wiped her face. "If Jay finds out the nightmares are back, I'll be on the first flight back to Edmonton."

Antonio was confused. "I thought you came from Ottawa."

Jes shook her head. "When I moved here originally, it was from Ottawa, but that's because Dad was stationed there before the divorce. I'm actually a small town girl from Alberta. Jay always thought that it was the city was the reason behind the nightmares." She sniffled again. "It's not because of Chicago. It never was."

"What is it then?" Antonio was lost, but he wanted to calm her down. It didn't matter what time it was.

Jes made a sound that imitated a whimper. "Jay can't ever find out."

"Jes, I won't tell him anything you don't want me to. But I know from experience with my son, that talking about the nightmare can help."

Jes wasn't sure that she could relive it. Her nightmares were part of her life that she'd tried so hard to forget. Other than her there were only two other people (other than the doctor) who knew the truth. Jay only knew half of it, and she wanted it kept that way. "I haven't talked about it, since it happened…" She did the math in her head. "6 years ago."

Antonio had no idea of what could be so tragic that it was still causing her nightmares all these years later. "You were 19."

"Yeah. 19, and in university. Jay was deployed on his last mission with the Rangers. He knows part of it, but he never, ever know the whole story. He'll never forgive himself if he finds out."

"Jes, I'm a good listener and if you don't want him to know, I swear I won't tell him. Whatever this is, you can't keep it bottled up. Sweety, it'll eat your soul." He pulled her in. Damn Jay and his rules. He would comfort her, hear her out and see what happened.

Jeslyn thought about what Antonio was saying. Her therapist had told that too before she'd moved back to Chicago. She knew Antonio was a man of his word. "Okay." Her voice was barely audible. "But, please, don't hate me. It's why I've never told anyone about this."

"Jes, I don't judge. I also don't think it's possible to hate you."

She took a deep breath and began telling her story. "It was my third year of university. I'd started at 17. I was working my ass off but my roommates thought I needed a social life. So one night, they took me out. We had fun, and I met a guy." She paused. He was the first person other than her roommate and therapist to know the whole story, yet she felt safe enough to tell him. "So we went out, but I wasn't into partying and you know… screwing around. I wanted to finish school… he had other plans."

Antonio could already see where this was going. He held her a little tighter, knowing that all of this would bring back a lot of emotional and physical pain. The memories of what happened would be almost torturous for her. Jes needed to feel safe and Antonio prayed he could give her that. "It's okay, if you need a break…"

"No, I'm fine. If I stop, I'll never be able to get through it." Another deep breath and she continued. "One night, he brought over a bottle of wine to help me relax before midterms." She caught the look in Antonio's eyes. "Legal drinking age there is 18. So, we had some wine, but little did I know he'd laced my glass with something. It wasn't GHB because I remember everything. What it was just made me dizzy. He helped me to my room, but once we were in there he threw me to the ground. He started hitting me. Called me all kinds of names. He told me that I had been asking for it." A sob escaped her throat. "He raped me." She took a deep breath and wept.

Antonio rubbed her back. He could tell this wasn't the end of the story. He also knew this must be the part of the story that Jay knew nothing of. "Jes, none of that is your fault." He'd seen his share of rape victims over the years. It never was easy. He felt a tear form in the corner of his eye. He blinked it away. He needed to stay strong for her, but his heart ached.

"I know that. Now, at least. Back then though… Anyhow, I tried to fight back. He didn't like that, so he put his belt around my neck. Just as I blacked out, I felt him finish. I don't know what happened after because my roommate found me the next day. I was still unconscious. She had to bust down my door because I hadn't shown up to our psych class." She looked at the door of her room hanging off the hinges. "History repeats itself. Anyhow, she wanted to call 9-1-1, but I wouldn't let her."

Antonio could guess why. Most rape cases go unreported because the victims either felt guilty or because they don't think anyone would believe them.

"She helped me shower and she never left my side again."

"You never saw him again?"

"Saw him? No. But he wasn't gone just yet." She reached for a Kleenex. "Two months later, I found out that he'd gotten me pregnant. My whole world shattered. I had no clue what to do. It wasn't the baby's fault but I also couldn't bring myself to get an abortion. I decided to give the baby up for adoption. Jay would've never found out because I would have had the baby by the time his deployment was over."

"You regret giving the baby away?"

"No. I never got the chance. He found out that I was pregnant when I was about 6 months along. He thought I was going to go after him for money. He nicked the brake line in my car so they'd give out eventually. I went for a weekend in the mountains with my roommate and her little sister. We were on our way home when the brakes finally gave out. We were going down a steep slope with no way to stop. We crashed through a guardrail and landed in a ravine." She had to stop. She could feel the burning pain from that night. The flashbacks of her friends, unmoving and covered in blood and shattered glass. "My roommate's sister was killed on impact. A tree crashed through the windshield into her. I ended up with the steering column jammed into me. Both my legs were broken. I had a punctured lung, a few broken ribs and a massive concussion." She wept as she told him the next part. "My pelvis was crushed. The baby… never stood a chance." She broke down completely.

Now it all made sense. "Shh. It's okay. It's over now." He began to rock her again.

"My roommate was lucky. She was saved simply because she had been asleep. She managed to get out a call for help. It took over an hour to cut me from the car. I had blacked out from blood loss. The rest is just what she told me when I came to. I was in a coma for almost two weeks. Jacquie, my roommate, told me that I had had to have five different surgeries to stabilize and fix everything. She stayed with me because Jay was still unreachable in Afghanistan. His mom knew about the accident, but she was beginning to get sick, so she couldn't come up from Chicago. Even though I was the reason her sister was gone, Jacquie stayed. She was never mad at me. She didn't blame me; she blamed the monster who had raped me. She was there when I came to, when the docs told me the baby was gone. She held my hand while I bawled. Even though I was going to give it to another family, I never wanted anything bad to happen to that baby."

"Jes, you can't keep beating yourself up. None of what happened six years ago was never your fault." He lifted her chin. "You have to know that. You didn't cause any of it."

"Antonio, I know. It still doesn't stop the nightmares, probably because the nightmares don't end there. I, uh, still hear the doctor telling me I may never be able to have kids of my own. That's part of the main reason behind the nightmare. I've always wanted to you know, get married, have a family. Now, I can't." Her sobs overtook her again.

Antonio had lost count of how many times she'd broken down since she'd woken up, but he knew she had to get it all out, or else it would get worse. He didn't know what to say or do. No young woman would ever want to be told that news. He held her tightly. He let her cry, humming gently in her ear. "Jes, I'm so sorry."

"I'm gonna be alone, forever. No one wants to be with someone with all of this… this crap." She was shaking. "Jay almost died when he got the news of the accident. I'll never forget the look on his face. He felt guilty for leaving for me. He blamed himself."

"He doesn't know about the rape…"

"Or the baby. He knows who cut my brakes, but that's it. I told the doctors not to tell anyone about the baby."

"You know Jay would never blame you."

"I know that. He would've killed the bastard himself and I wouldn't have my brother anymore. I remember the trial and the anger radiating from Jay."

"There's more, isn't there?" Antonio could hear it in her voice.

She swallowed, then nodded. "I got hooked on the pain meds. Hard. For about a year, I tried to purposely ruin my life because I didn't think I was worthy. Jacquie finally got through to me. She threatened to tell Jay about the drugs and the guys."

"Guys? Plural?"

"I never actually had sex with them. Just would get them off so they'd get me oxy or Percocet."

Antonio couldn't see it, but she knew that if someone was desperate enough, they'd do whatever they needed to just to get a fix.

"Jay doesn't know. I quit cold turkey. Jacquie helped me through it. She kept me on the straight and narrow after that. Once she's done her contract, she'll be coming down for the summer, maybe longer. She's the reason why I want to get this youth center off the ground."

"That's quite the task. You were brave. Still are. Not everyone can go through that and get to where you are. You haven't let your past define you. That tells me how strong you are. You have overcome so much. You're a hero, Jes. You are going to do so many great things."

"I'm still a horrible person. I let all of that happen. I was smarter than that." She wept.

Every nightmare she'd had was because of survivor's guilt. Antonio knew that feeling, having lost two partners himself since joining the CPD. "Jeslyn. Look at me."

Jes did as she was told. His eyes were soft, caring and understanding. "You don't get it."

"No, Jes. I do get it. More than you know." He stroked her cheek. "I almost lost it when I was working deep cover in Vice. My partner, she pulled me back. Then we both got moved to Intelligence after I'd been shot and almost killed while on a case for Vice. About two months in, Jules, she took a shotgun blast to her neck and chest. She basically bled out in my arms. I've always had the 'it should've been me' feeling. I lost many friends in the Marines and CPD. I know exactly what you're going through." He took a chance, leaned in and kissed her forehead.

Jes' anxiety and pain fled as his lips touched her skin. "Antonio" She breathed. She hadn't felt this calm or safe in over six years.

"Jes…" He stuttered. "I'm sorry."

"No." She put her hand on his cheek. "It's fine. I feel safe again."

"You think you can try and get some sleep?"

Jes was still trembling. "I don't know." She looked into his eyes and saw only his concern and kindness. "Could you stay… you know… to make sure I don't have another one?"

"Sure." Antonio tried to get off the bed, but Jes still clung to him. "I just have to get some pillows and a blanket. I'll sleep on the floor."

Her eyes widened. He wasn't sure if it was for fear or surprise. "Stay. With me. You know, holding me. Like you did before." Her voice trembled. "I feel safe like this."

Antonio knew she made a strong point. If she felt safe in his arms, then he'd have to sleep in her bed. "Are you sure?"

"You're not planning on taking advantage of me, are you Detective?" She laughed weakly.

"No ma'am. Now, scooch over so I don't fall out of the bed."

She slid over towards the middle of the bed, giving him plenty of room. He slowly got under the covers. Once he was in, she slid closer so he could put his arms around her.

"You're not telling my brother about this, right?"

"Hell no!" He exclaimed. "No way. He finds out that I slept in the same bed as his baby sister; he'd shoot me on the spot. This will be our secret." He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "Now, get some sleep. You're safe with me."

Jes lay her head down on his bare chest and closed her eyes. Antonio felt her breathing change and her body relax. She was out. He subconsciously began to stroke her arm. This felt good. It felt so good to not be alone in this house or alone in his bed. However, this was only a one-time deal though. For that, he was saddened. Soon, they'd catch the hitman, and Jay and Jes would be able to move on with their lives. Reality set in. He'd be alone again. He'd still be fighting for his children, but this house and his bed would be a cold reminder of the price of his job. He gently kissed her forehead as he drifted off into a dream of a life he only wished was possible. A life with the woman asleep in his arms. It was a life filled with love and happiness.

* * *

 ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***

* * *

 _ **The next morning…**_

Jes awoke to warmth she had never felt before. She looked around and realized she was lying in Antonio's arms. She panicked briefly and then remembered the events of the night before. She had asked him to stay, and he had kept his promise. He was still asleep. She was debating about waking him up or just letting him sleep.

"You're cute when you over analyse everything." His eyes were still closed but his voice told her that he was actually awake.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. I've been awake for an hour or so. Just didn't want to move because you looked so peaceful."

"I think that's the first peaceful sleep I've had since that night."

Antonio stroked her cheek. "Glad to serve as a dream catcher and teddy bear."

Jes blushed. She didn't know what to say. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Listening. Staying."

"Jes, I'm supposed to keep you safe. Even if it's from your dreams."

"Thank you, for not judging me."

"Like I told you. I don't judge. I'd be a hypocrite if I did. The past is just that. It's history and as long as you learn from it, that's all that matters."

"What time is it?"

"Almost 9, why?"

"It's Sunday."

"Yup, all day."

"I'd like to go to Church today."

"Sure. Uh, I haven't been to Mass in a while. Since, well, since Laura left."

"Oh. Well, maybe…"

"No, Jes. It's fine. Really. Maybe going will make more sense of all of this."

"Then I guess we'd better get ready. I think Mass is at 11."

Once they were both dressed, Antonio pulled out his truck. He made sure he had his CPD ID and his weapon with him, but kept it hidden. Church or not, Jes had to be kept safe. By going in his truck, they would be less noticeable than his CPD car. They headed to St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church. It had been months. He knew Father Mario would chew him out for not coming anymore, but if he remembered anything from Sunday school and being an Altar Boy, it was that faith could get you through anything. Jeslyn was a walking example. If only she had a little more faith in herself.

They arrived just as Mass was about to begin. Antonio let Jes pick their pew. It felt good to be back in Church. Antonio watched Jes as she followed along with the Mass. He paid closer attention when the priest began his Homily. Today's subject: redemption.

* * *

 ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***

* * *

" _While Hell is real, you are not doomed to it."_ Father Mario's words echoed in Antonio's ears. Today's homily had spoken about forgiveness and being able to move on. Antonio made a mental note to call his kids tonight. He needed to hear their voices.

"Antonio?"

Antonio turned to face Jes. "Yeah?"

"Light's green. You can go."

"Oh." He slowly accelerated through the intersection. "I was thinking."

"It's okay. Luckily, no one was behind us." She could see something was weighing on his mind. "Is everything okay? Was I, you know, outta line last night?"

"What?!" Antonio was astonished. "No. Jes, God no. This isn't…" He stopped and took a breath. "Father's sermon made me think about everything. My kids, what I'm supposed to do with my life… That kinda thing." He reached over and gently patted her hand. "Last night, you cleared your mind. You told me your deepest, darkest secrets. None of that changes how I see you, or how I feel about you."

Jes was about to ask him what he meant when his cell began to ring.

"Dawson." He answered. "Hey Jay. Yeah. She's fine. No, we're not home. She wanted to go to Church. St. Mary of the Angels." He let Jay say something. "Sure, I'll come right now. She can stay with Gaby and Matt. Yeah, I'll tell her. See you in a bit."

"Jay? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. They think it'll be over tonight."

"Oh, thank God!"

"He told me to tell you he loves you and he will make this all up to you once this is all over."

Jes wanted to tell him that she was enjoying spending time with him, but she didn't know how. "It's good that this is finally almost over."

"Are you okay with me going in? You know it'll be another day with my sister."

"I like Gaby. She doesn't take shit from anyone."

Antonio chuckled. "That is true. Okay, well, I'll call you when this is all over. You'll probably be staying with me until we can move you into your new place."

"Okay, just, uh, be safe out there. All of you."

"Always." He replied as he pulled into Matt and Gaby's driveway. "Have a great afternoon."

* * *

 ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***

* * *

 _ **Much later…**_

Voight had just given his speech on how if the city knew how Intelligence was run, there'd be no Intelligence Unit.

"I'm going to Molly's." Antonio announced. "I'm gonna get drunk."

The rest of the team agreed to meet him there. For the past week, they'd been on edge. They'd had an extremely difficult case. They all needed to let loose.

Jay excused himself. He needed to call his sister. He hopped from foot to foot waiting for Jes to answer.

"Hello?"

"Jes!" He exclaimed.

"Jay! Oh my God! It's so good to hear your voice! Is everything okay?"

"Better than okay. It's over. We got the son of a bitch!"

A huge sigh of relief came from her end of the phone. "Thank God! Oh… I don't think I've ever been this relieved.

"We're all going to Molly's. Come join us. We can celebrate."

"I'd love to, but Gaby and I are still a little busy."

"Doing what exactly? It sounds like you're at the zoo."

"I'm at a shelter, adopting a cat."

"Why?"

"Because I've always wanted one, and now that we're getting our own place, I can have one."

"You do know we can't move in for another couple days, right?"

"Yeah. I'm not getting a bunch of stuff. Just the essentials until we're in the house."

"Okay, does Antonio know? Because you're gonna be staying there until the move."

"I didn't get a chance, but Gaby says he loves cats."

"How 'bout I tell him? Just make sure your new roommate doesn't claw up his stuff or craps on the rug."

"She won't. Wait, don't you mean **our** new roommate?"

"I'll stay with you for a little bit, but I think we're better having each our own space."

"It's not the whole truth. Some of this decision is because of this past case, isn't it?"

Jay sighed. "I never could get anything by you could I?"

"You're a shitty liar, Jay Halstead."

"I just want you happy. And safe."

"I am. Antonio kept his promise to you."

"Good. Look, I gotta run. I'll come by tomorrow and we'll catch up. Don't go overboard on the cat, okay? I know I owe Antonio, but I don't want to owe him new furniture or a new carpet."

"Promise. Don't forget to tell him about the kitten. Love ya!"

Jay ended the call and went to catch a ride with Erin.

* * *

 ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***

* * *

Jes arrived home, well Antonio's home, with her furry little roommate. She put the kennel down and locked the front door. It was around 7 and she was starving. She let her new kitten out of the kennel. The tiny tuxedo kitten cautiously left the kennel and tested her new surroundings. She started mewling. "Hungry?" Jes asked. The kitten rubbed up against Jes' leg and started purring. "Okay. I guess it's food time for both of us, huh, Minion?"

"Brreow!" The kitten squeaked.

"Great. I'm already turning into a crazy cat lady. I'm alone here, talking to a six month old kitten." She grabbed the cat food that the shelter had given her and put it in one dish, water in another. She put both dishes on the floor. "Here Minion." She called.

The kitten tried running into the kitchen, but slid across the laminate flooring. THUMP! The kitten was dazed but still made her way to her dish of food and devoured it. Jes dug through Antonio's fridge to come up with something to eat. She quickly realized that there were no leftovers to devour. "Damn it!"

"Meow." The kitten jumped.

"Not you. I need food too." She sighed and settled on a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Once she was done eating, she washed everything and put it away. She wanted to take advantage of Antonio's Jacuzzi while he was out. After all, he'd told her to make herself at home.

* * *

 ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***

* * *

It was well after midnight. Almost everyone had gone home. Antonio was feeling no pain. He was still brooding that Laura hadn't let him talk to the kids when he'd called as Gaby approached.

"Hey, Antonio." She hugged him. "How's everything?"

"Fine." He slurred.

"Just how drunk were you planning on getting?" She arched an eyebrow.

He looked up at her. "Didn't you hear? Jay's target is gone. They're… They can go back to their normal lives now."

Gaby could detect a tinge of sadness in his voice. "You're gonna miss her."

"Gaby… you… don't understand." He finished the beer in front of him. "Otis, another one."

Otis looked to his partner. Gaby gave him the cut-off sign and looked at her brother. "Bro, I think it's time to go. I'll call you a cab… Actually, never mind, I'll drive you home."

"What 'bout my truck?"

"We'll take your truck and Matt will pick me up." She helped him to his feet. "Just try not to wake Jes when you get in."

"Yes mom." He responded sarcastically.

* * *

 ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***

* * *

Jes was quietly enjoying the calming jets of the Jacuzzi. She'd played with Minion for a bit before actually having her bath. She was reading 'Outlander' for the third time. She was completely oblivious to the world around. All she cared about was that Jay was safe again and in turn, so was she.

Gaby walked Antonio to the door. "Don't be overly charming big brother, okay? I don't think Jes needs to be worried about your drunk ass tonight."

"I'm not that drunk."

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that." With that she turned to leave.

"Good night Gaby." He called as she hopped into Matt's pick-up. He opened the door as quietly as possible. He didn't want to wake Jes up if she was sleeping. He passed her room and saw that the lights were out. He went into his room. After today's shenanigans, he needed a shower. He stripped off his clothes and tossed them into the hamper. He grabbed his towel. He made his way in the dark to the master bath. As he was about to ask herself why there was a light on in the bathroom when he stepped on something furry.

"Reow! Mow!" The very pissed off kitten attacked Antonio's bare legs.

"COÑO! CARAJO! Y ete jo dio gato, quién fue que lo metió aquí?! No joda nadie!"

The tiny fur ball arched her back and hissed to the best of her abilities at the evil human who'd stepped on her tail.

"Minion!" Jes burst through the door wrapped only in a very short towel. "What the fuck?!"

Antonio gaped at her, his towel falling from his waist.

"Well, this is awkward."

* * *

 _ **A/N: That is our conclusion for now. More to come soon. The next chapters won't really interact with episodes from the show. Hope you enjoyed it!**_


	6. La Gozadera

_**A/N: Welcome back! I know, I know… It took a long time but I wanted it perfect. We'll pick up right where we left off… In the mean time, I am enjoying some sun and fun in the Dominican right now… so even more influence. Still dedicated to my own Dominican and my helper in all things Spanish… Love always! Nicole…. Please read & review!**_

* * *

" _Well, this is awkward."_

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Jes got a good look at a very naked and super sexy Antonio Dawson. She quickly bent down to pick up her very upset kitten. Antonio got a glimpse of the swell of her breasts peaking over the towel. He then sobered up realizing he was as naked as the day he was born. He grabbed his towel and tried to cover up to the best of his ability, but being drunk, his balance wasn't so great.

"Antonio?" Jes asked as she pet the cat to calm her.

"Hey, uh, where'd the, uh… furball come from?"

"Jay didn't tell you? Or Gaby?"

He thought long and hard. Had they mentioned that Jes was bringing a cat home? He shook his head. "Not that I remember, but I am a tad drunk." He swayed towards her.

She stopped him fully keeling over. She was having a hard time balancing Minion, keeping Antonio from face planting and staying covering in her very minimal towel. "Go figure! Here, let's get you on the bed so you don't fall over."

"I'm not _that_ drunk."

"Uh huh, and I'm the Queen of England."

"Your Majesty." He semi-bowed and fell onto the bed. "Cat?"

"Her name is Minion and I'll put her in my room."

"You don't have to leave." His voice was almost pleading.

"You're drunk, Antonio." She sighed. "I think you should sleep." She didn't want to sound like a bitch, but she also knew that being drunk wasn't the time for rash decisions. "We'll talk in the morning, promise." She leaned in to kiss his cheek, but he turned and the kiss landed on his lips. She could taste the beer and whiskey on his lips. Despite the shock, she didn't want to pull away, but she had to.

Antonio was in shock. He hadn't meant to kiss her, but it felt good. It felt… right. "You're right. I'm sorry. Uh, yeah, we'll uh talk in the morning."

She grabbed her book & left. "Sweet dreams Antonio."

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

 _ **Two weeks later…**_

All of Intelligence and most of Firehouse 51 had shown up to help Jes move into her new home. Jay had decided he'd stay with her until Jacquie was in Chicago. He had finally convinced Jes to come around to the idea that living together as roommates was just not safe because of his work. While she didn't like the idea, she had to agree with the logic.

"Plus with Jacquie being here, I'd be outnumbered." Jay rationalized. "Not to mention the hormones."

"What hormones?"

"The ones that'll start flying when you guys hit PMS or dating. Thanks, but no thanks. I had enough of that when you were in high school."

Jes punched his arm. "It wasn't that bad!"

"Maybe with just one of you, but two? No way, I'm good."

As their friends showed up, they began loading the cars and SUVs with boxes and bags. Antonio and Voight had volunteered their trucks to move furniture. When Antonio showed up, he had two extra helpers with him.

"Jes, I'd like for you to meet Diego and Eva. Guys, this is Uncle Jay's sister, Jeslyn."

"Hi guys."

Eva was timid and politely greeted her while Diego gave an enthusiastic high five. Antonio quickly got them to help put boxes into vehicles.

"How are you doing?" He asked once they were alone.

"I'm okay, I guess."

Antonio took her hand. "You sure? You sound like you're trying to convince yourself."

"Yeah. I was just thinking 'bout some stuff. Planning what I'm gonna say to get P2K off the ground. I guess I'm a little stressed."

"You'll do great. You've made it this far; you'll blow them away. When are you making your case to City Council?"

"Monday, during a special Council session."

"You must be doing something right if they've called a special meeting for it."

She blushed. "You think so?"

"I know so. Now, let's load up some furniture and get you settled."

It took most of the day, but by suppertime all of Jes' things were moved and unpacked into her house. Waiting for her in the driveway, was her new Dodge Journey, which Atwater had had delivered that morning.

"Figured you'd definitely be wanting it now that you're all settled." Kevin said as he handed her the keys.

"Wow! Thanks. Uh, what about the money?"

"We can solve that after today. Don't stress over it."

Jes was thrilled. For the first time in a very long time, things were finally going according to plan.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Jay cornered Gaby, Atwater and Nadia. "I need your help."

Nadia asked. "With what?"

"Jes' birthday is next week and I want to have a birthday/ 'Welcome Home' party for her next Friday."

"So what you need from us?" Kevin asked. "We're here to help."

"Gaby, can we…"

Gaby didn't let him finish. "Definitely, Molly's is at your service."

Jay laughed. "Thanks." He turned to Kevin. "I need your party planning skills."

"Anything, bro."

"Music, food… You know like that party from a month or so back."

"Done."

"What about me?" Nadia wasn't sure what role she was to play.

"You're gonna make sure she has no idea of what's going on and you're gonna make sure she gets to Molly's on time."

"Cool, sounds easy enough." Nadia smiled. It felt good to be a part of a family.

"Jes can't find out." Jay emphasized.

"Hey, I'll take her for a girls' day to the spa or something. My lips are sealed." Nadia promised.

"I could join if it would make it more convincing?" Gaby chimed in.

"Whatever it takes." Jay sighed. "I want her to feel like she's home again. That she's with family who loves her."

"She will, bro. With what I'm seeing today," Kevin grinned. "She knows she means something to all of us."

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Antonio and Diego were putting Jes' bedroom furniture together while Eva helped Jes load clothes into her closet.

"Dad?" Diego asked as he put the last bolt into her bedframe.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"With all the stuff going on between you and mom… uh, what about our school and stuff?"

"What do you mean?" Antonio was unsure of what all his children knew about the pending divorce.

"Eva told me… about when she left to find you at the district and what mom's been doing since she took us and left."

Antonio flashed back to when they came back from a raid trying to get two teen girls back. Eva had been standing near Platt's desk. He had been so mad at her for leaving and taking the train back into the city by herself.

"Dad. I needed to see you." She had said.

His response had been negative and condescending. He then left Nadia, who was just 19, to watch over his 14 year old daughter. Once they'd gotten the kidnapped girls back, he had called Laura. She'd accused him of planning the whole thing with Eva. She also made a point of telling him that she was getting a lawyer to draw up divorce papers. He was beyond saving his marriage, but he wasn't as broken up over it. Not since he had met Jes, but he also wasn't about to not fight for his kids. After talking to Laura, he went to talk to Eva.

He apologized to her. "Your mother said you might have heard some things."

Eva's eyes had begun to fill with tears. "I'm sorry Dad, I just…"

He couldn't take it. Seeing his daughter hurt so much over something that wasn't her fault tore him apart. "Hey, no matter what, you, me and Diego, this will never end. We're a knot that can never come undone."

"Dad?" Diego's voice brought him back to the present.

"Sorry, bud. What about it?"

"Will we have to change schools?"

"Not if you don't want to. Your mother and I will work something out. Promise."

"Because, we're kinda behind this year. I don't know 'bout Eva, but I don't like being behind."

"I'll talk to your teacher. Maybe getting you guys a tutor is something that could help."

"Like Jes?"

Antonio had to restrain having his jaw drop. "Jes?"

"Yeah. She's a teacher. She could do it, if you ask her."

Antonio checked to see if Jes was within earshot. "What on Earth are you going on about Diego?"

Diego sensed his father's nervousness, so he switched to Spanish. "Papi, hasta un ciego se daría cuenta de cuanto te gusta ella."

Antonio looked at his son in shock. "So now you're fluent in Spanish?"

Diego shrugged. "Es así, sí a go?"

"Diego, no sé de qué tú me hablas."

"Sure dad." Diego grinned. "Whatever you say."

"Everyone's saying that lately." Antonio noted.

"Saying what?" Jes popped her head out of the closet.

"Whatever you say, or some variation of that."

"Oh, well." Jes stretched. "There is a solution for that."

"What's that?"

"Stop saying things that people don't believe coming from you." She went back into the closet to start pulling out boxes.

"Told ya." Diego elbowed his dad.

Antonio lamented. "I can't win. I give up!"

"We still love you dad!" Eva grinned as they brought the empty boxes to Antonio's truck.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

"Hey, Antonio?" Atwater waved from across the bullpen.

"Hey, Kevin. What's up?"

"Roman says you're working security for him?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"We need a bouncer/'bodyguard' for Jes' birthday party Friday night. I was thinking you'd be good for it."

"Why me?"

"'Cause, you've already done it for her. She trusts you, Jay trusts you. That's probably because you're the only one who hasn't tried hitting on her. Plus, there's cash in it for you. I know that…"

"I know, divorces are expensive and I appreciate it. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there."

They were going through files and finishing reports to close cases when Jay called Antonio to tell him that Voight was MIA.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Nadia took the liberty of calling Jes while the team went to check out Voight's house. "Hey, Jes."

"Hey, Nadia. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's great. Uh, I got this awesome Girl's Day Spa Groupon to get mani/pedis and a makeover. It's for two people, so I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

Jes pondered it. "Sure. Don't see why not. I haven't been pampered in a while, so it'll be nice. When are you thinking of doing it?"

"This Friday? They have openings."

"Sure." She stopped herself. "Will we be done by six?"

"Ya. Why?" Nadia played coy.

"Jay wants to take me out that night. It's my birthday that day." Jes replied timidly.

"Oh my God! I didn't know that!" Nadia prayed she wasn't overly enthusiastic.

"Yeah."

"Then you definitely need pampering. It'll be fun."

"Definitely. I'm looking forward to it." Jes was happy.

"You want me to pick you up around 10? I got us appointments for 11. We could grab coffee on the way?"

"Sure, and we could do lunch after if you're game?" Jes felt like she was actually making friends that were true this time around.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you then. Bye, Jes."

The line had just disconnected when her cell began to ring again. This time it was Gaby. "Hey Gaby, what's up?"

"Jay called and asked if I could take you to get something for you to wear for your supper Friday night."

"Does he think I'll show up naked or something?"

Gaby laughed. "Dunno. Just doing what he asked."

"I have clothes." Jes pointed out.

"Humour me?" Gaby pleaded. "He said something about it being your gift?"

"Oye. Sure. When's best for you?" Jes knew she'd never win, she didn't know why she still bothered fighting with her big brother.

"I'm just getting off shift. Matt's headed to a construction gig, so I'm good to go right now."

"Sure, I'm just finishing the dishes."

"Cool, see you in a few." Gaby ended the call.

' _I wonder why Jay just didn't tell me himself?'_ She pondered. She gave up, finished emptying and reloading the dishwasher and waited for Gaby. It was about 10 minutes later when Gaby pulled. Jes waved as she ran to the car.

"Hey!" Gaby greeted her. "I'm taking Jay didn't give you a heads-up about this?"

"He's a guy. Many things slip his mind."

The two laughed as they made their way to one of the most classy and upscale clothing stores in Chicago. "Just what did Jay tell you I needed?" Jes eyed the store. "A dress in there probably costs half of his salary!"

"He's got connections. Don't worry." Gaby took Jeslyn's arm and led her into the store. She walked up to the counter. "Detective Halstead sent us." She told the woman behind the counter who had greeted them.

"Ah, yes. Of course!" She smiled and turned to face Jes. "You must be Jes, his sister."

Jes, unsure of what to say, just nodded.

"Jay helped bring down the gang that had my brother… well… anyhow, my brother's clean now and going through college now."

"Wow! That's amazing." Jes was so proud of the work her brother did.

"He said you're wanting to open a youth centre in the district?"

Jes smiled as her cheeks began to burn a little. "Mhm, I go before City Council tomorrow to find out if I was approved."

"I think it's a fabulous idea! So many troubled kids wouldn't be in gangs or on the street if they had somewhere like that to go." She walked out from behind the counter. "Let's go get that dress."

Jes wasn't sure what kind of dress she needed. "I really have no clue of what Jay wants me to get."

"He gave me an idea, so don't worry. It'll be fun. I'm Melanie, by the way." She extended her hand and Jes shook it.

"Can we find a dress that kinda multi-purpose?" Jes asked as the two disappeared amongst the racks of dresses and formal wear. "Also something preferably _not_ pink?"

After about an hour, Jes and Gaby emerged with a new dress, pair of shoes and jewelry for Friday night. Jes was surprised that Jay had pre-arranged all of this for her.

"Hey Gaby?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know what Jay's got planned?"

Gaby shook her head. "Not a thing. He's more tight lipped than Voight." She laughed. "Just enjoy it. It means he's happy your home."

Jes noticed that Gaby was just staring at her. "Do I have something stuck in my teeth?"

"No. No! Just thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"How you and my brother are great for each other." Gaby replied honestly.

"What?!" Jes exclaimed. "Woah! That's…"

"Very obvious." Gaby concluded.

"Antonio's not into me. He's going…"

"Through a shitty divorce and has kids?"

"Yeah." Jes wasn't sure where Gaby was going with this.

"It doesn't matter. He's not trying to save the marriage. All he cares about is stability for his kids and you."

"He just met me!"

Gaby pulled Jes onto a park bench. "Jes, you are blind, woman!" She exhaled. "Yeesh. Look, you've been here about a month now. You spent a good part of that month at his house."

Jes cut her off. "Because some psycho put a price on Jay's head."

"I know, but I know my brother. The looks he gives you when he thinks no one is looking. You do the same thing."

"But, but…"

"There's no 'buts' here, Jes. Just be open to the idea."

Jay slumped on the bench. Gaby was right. She did have feelings for Antonio, but she sure as hell didn't know how to act on them. "Okay, say you're right…"

"I am."

Jes shot her a glare. "Okay, how do I go about anything? I've never really dated… I'm new at it. Antonio, he… uh… knows the whole story. Cliff Notes: The only guy I ever dated was an ass hat and tried to kill me."

"Antonio's not like that."

"I know. He's perfect." Jes sighed as she ran her fingers through she tried to undo a knot.

"Jes, if you told him that, he'll go slow, but you're going to have to let him know you're interested. Men, in general, don't do well with subtleties."

"I'm not supposed to date a cop, remember?"

"Jay may be a detective but he's oblivious to you and Antonio. Plus you're a grown woman, you can date whomever you please!"

"How do you think I should tell Antonio? Like I'm really not sure."

Gaby considered the many available options. "Let me handle it. Just know, I tend to throw people together and just have them go with the flow."

"So sink or swim?"

Gaby nodded.

"Whatever works. I just, I guess I've lived in a bubble for too long." Jes blew her bangs from her eyes. "Do you know a good stylist? My hair's been driving me bonkers."

Gaby said she did and wrote down the contact info. "Tell her that Gaby sent you and it's urgent."

"Thanks!"

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Gaby drove by Antonio's on her way home from dropping Jes off. She needed to start dropping hints.

"Hey Tia Gaby!" Eva beamed as she opened the door.

"Hey, Eva. I thought you were going back to your mom's tonight?"

Eva shrugged. "She's 'busy' so we're staying with dad."

Antonio appeared from the kitchen. "Gaby! Thank God! Save me!"

"What now big brother?" Gaby smirked as she took off her coat.

"The kids."

"Well, they're your kids. They take after their father."

Antonio rolled his eyes. "You're not helping."

"We're trying to convince Dad to ask Jeslyn out."

Antonio huffed. "I don't need dating advice from my children."

Gaby snorted. "Well, I'm on their side."

"What!" Antonio's jaw dropped. "Seriously, sis?"

"That's why I came over I know you'll be there Friday. Make a move then."

"Ugh! Gaby, Jay doesn't want his baby sister involved with a cop. Much less a cop in his unit."

"Since when does Jay control her life? Or yours, for that matter? I vaguely remember a similar conversation when I started as a paramedic." She mimicked Antonio. "You don't date one of those firefighters, you hear me."

"I don't sound like that." Antonio did remember that conversation. "You didn't listen."

"No, but I love Matt and we're getting married. You deserve that same happiness."

Antonio conceded. "Fine, but who's all in on this right now?"

"Us." Gaby replied, signalling to the kids, Antonio and herself.

"Not Atwater?"

"Kevin?" Gaby shook her head. "No. Why?"

"'Cause he asked me to be bouncer Friday night." Antonio scratched his chin.

"Dad, maybe he sees what we all see." Eva piped up. "Well, everyone but Uncle Jay."

Antonio took a pause and turned to face his kids. "I know you guys are still getting used to… this and you're not happy that your mom is dating…"

"That's because those guys are douches!" Diego interrupted.

"Diego!" Gaby looked to her nephew in shock. "They may not be great, but don't use that kind of language. If Abuela was here, she'd wash your mouth out with soap."

"Sorry Tia Gaby." He offered a sincere apology. "But we like Jes. She's awesome. Dad, come on."

"Guys, I'm not sure. What if she says 'no'?"

"A little birdy told me, she'd say 'yes'." Gaby hugged her brother and then put on her jacket. "Trust us, all of us. She'll say 'yes'."

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

 _ **Friday…**_

Jes was still oblivious to what was all planned for her, but she had really enjoyed her time with Nadia getting pampered at the salon. Once they had been done with the makeovers and mani/pedis, they grabbed a light lunch and Nadia drove her to the salon Gaby had recommended for her hair appointment. She had decided it was time for a change. She was getting a fresh start, so she wanted a new style. It was drastically different from what she was used to, but that okay. Once the cut and colour was done, she went home to change. Nadia had told her she'd pick her up so the surprise wouldn't be ruined. Around a quarter to 6, Nadia pulled up and Jes got in.

"Here." Nadia was extending a blindfold.

"What's that for?" Jes asked as she took it.

"Jay said 'surprise', so… surprise! Now cover those beautiful eyes."

As Jes carefully put the blindfold on, Nadia complimented her again on her new hairstyle.

Once Jes' eyes were covered, Nadia shot Jay a quick text. "On our way."

They arrived at Molly's fairly quickly. Jay was waiting to guide Jes in. Nadia took that time to sneak into the bar.

"Easy there, sis." Jay helped Jes regain her balance.

"I don't get what's with all the cloak and dagger. I thought you were a detective, not CIA?"

"I haven't been able to celebrate a birthday with you in a decade, almost. I'm allowed to spoil you."

"Jay, dinner woulda been enough. You didn't need to add a dress, jewellery and shoes on top of that."

"Quit your whining." He nodded to Antonio who opened the door. "Watch your step."

Antonio had to force himself to lock his jaw. Jes was naturally beautiful, but tonight she was mesmerizing.

"By the way," Jay questioned. "What did you do to your hair?"

Jes giggled. "New, fresh start means I get a new look."

"Whatever makes you happy." He kissed her on the cheek. He then removed the blindfold.

"SURPRISE!"

Jes had to take a step back. Antonio helped her regain her balance as she had back into him. "Oh my God!... Oh my fucking God!" She exclaimed then she began hyperventilating.

Antonio leaned in and whispered. "Happy birthday."

She turned to face him, her cheeks a deep crimson. "Thank you."

Jay led her through the throng of people to the special table that had been set up.

"Jay, this is too much." She whispered.

"Nothing's too much for you." He pulled out the chair for her. "Now, there's another surprise for you, but you have to be seated."

She promptly sat. "I don't know if my heart can take any more surprises."

"Then it's a good thing I invited the paramedics now isn't it?" He laughed.

Once Jes was seated, Jay signalled to Antonio. Antonio went to the storage room and escorted a petite, young woman to the front where Jes was waiting.

Jes' eyes widened in surprise. "Jacquie!"

"Happy birthday bestie!"

"You weren't supposed to be down for another week!" Jes got up and embraced her best friend.

"Nah!" She laughed. "I couldn't miss this, plus I wasn't going to miss your big announcement."

The two sat next two each other and turned to watch Jay, who had taken the mic being offered to him by Christopher.

"Welcome, everyone." He began. "Tonight, is a really special night. My little sister is celebrating her return to Chicago, her 26th birthday and her getting City Council's approval to open a new Youth Centre in our district."

Applause and cheers thundered around Molly's. Once Jay calmed the crowd, he continued. "I'm so happy you came home and so proud of what your achieved. Happy birthday, Jeslyn! A toast!"

Glasses were raised and clinked. Jes swore she was almost burgundy because of all the attention. She looked around and saw Antonio. Their eyes locked and in that instant she knew Gaby had been right. She got up and made her way over to Jay. She took the mic. "Thank you all so much! I'm still in shock. This is definitely the best birthday a girl could ever dream of. I'd like to take a couple minutes to explain the new Youth Program and thank some people. First, I'd like to introduce Jacquie Lennox."

Jacquie stood and waved.

"She's my best friend and lifeline. She and I have been trying to come up with a way to help teens get off the streets and stay out of trouble. She and I spent our first couple years teaching in inner city high schools. We've seen the challenges and now we can help the teens in and around the 21st District overcome those challenges and beat the odds."

This earned her another round of thunderous applause. She continued. "Power to Kids or P2K will be a drop in centre where they can come in, get help with school, shoot hoops or play floor hockey. They can just come in and chill. We will also be teaching healthy eating, goal setting and other skills they'll need once they're out there being outstanding citizens in the great city of Chicago." More applause followed. "I'd like to thank Jay for supporting me and helping organize my presentation; Sergeant Platt for helping get donations in from CPD; Lieutenants Severide and Casey as well as Chief Boden, Gaby and the rest of Firehouse 51 for raising awareness and fundraising within the CFD. I'd also like to thank Sergeant Voight for your help and your donation to this cause. I would also like to thank Detective Antonio Dawson…"

Antonio froze when he heard his name.

"Thank you for keeping me safe my first couple weeks back and for getting the boxing gym to partner with P2K to keep the kids off the streets and out of the gangs. Finally, thank you to all of you who planned tonight and kept it secret and for all of you to be here. It's good to be home."

"Here, Here!" Christopher raised his glass and another toast ensued.

The evening progressed as everyone ate and mingled. Jes was having a great night and quickly forgot her anger towards Jay for all the fluff and fuss.

Antonio watched Jes. He had to gauge himself. Gaby and the kids were right. He'd have to move on. _'Jes looks amazing.'_ He thought to himself. She had cut her long black locks to a short pixie cut. The bangs, swept to one side were now a deep, rich purple that complemented her eyes. Her dress hugged all her curves and naturally flowed out from the hips. The mix of black and lilac lace was amazing on her. She looked as radiant as she did the day he first laid eyes on her. While everyone was mingling, Antonio made his way towards Jacquie. "Hey there. I'm…"

"Antonio." She smiled. "I've heard a lot about you, Detective."

"Don't believe everything you hear from those clowns."

"Jes told me about you taking care of her." Jacquie said.

"Ah. Yeah. It's all part of the job."

"She said you went above and beyond 'the job'. Got her to open up, to know she didn't have to be alone…"

"Uh…" Antonio was at a loss.

"Thank-you. You must be special for her to tell you everything that happened."

His cheeks burned. "She's an amazing person and she needed to hear that. I have faith in whatever she does."

"I'm glad to hear it." She extended her hand. He shook it and she grasped it very tightly. "Don't hurt her, detective. I see how you look at her and how she looks at you. I know you care about her, but she's my best friend. Almost my sister, and I know Jay will personally kill you if anything happens to her."

"Jay doesn't know… but I promise you, I care too much about her to let anything happen to her."

"Jes mentioned something about Jay hating the idea of her dating a cop… Your secret is safe with me. You don't hurt her, I'm all good." Jacquie turned to leave but crashed into Kevin as he was headed to start up the music. "Oh! I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Antonio stepped in. "Jacquie meet Detective Kevin Atwater, Intelligence and party planner extraordinaire."

"Hi." She said shyly.

"Nice to meet you."

Antonio left them and went in search of Gaby.

"So you planned all of this?" Jacquie asked Kevin.

He nodded. "Yup. All the money made tonight is being donated to P2K too."

"Wow! That's awesome. Thank you."

"No, thank you guys. It'll be a huge help keeping the kids off the streets and outta the gangs."

Jacquie blushed.

"Here, come help me set up the music, and we can talk more." He offered her his arm, which she timidly accepted.

Once they were at the DJ booth, Kevin took the mic. "Hey y'all! So here's the deal. Tonight, this here's a party, so we gonna party. If anyone wants a dance with tonight's guest of honour, just ask her when the music kicks in and you feel the groove."

The music started and people got up to dance. Some sat at the side tables and mingled. Eventually different police officers, paramedics, firefighters as well as other guests who just wanted to wish Jes well, got up and went to see her. Whether it was a dance or just a hug, Jes was feeling welcomed and finally at home. 'My Wish' by Rascal Flatts came on and Jay made his way to the dance floor. "Dance with me?"

Jes blushed. "Definitely."

Antonio watched. "Penny for your thoughts?" Gaby asked as he approached the bard.

"Huh?"

"You're staring." She pointed towards Jay and Jes.

"I still haven't figured out how to ask her."

"You'll get there."

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

The night progressed and Jes was having a great time. She went to the bar. "Gaby…"

"Jes…" Gaby laughed as she dragged out Jes' name.

"Help?"

"Sure." Gaby went over to the DJ and requested a song. She walked over to Jes. "I just requested a salsa song. You're gonna go ask Antonio to teach you how to salsa."

"Okay?" Jes nodded. She wasn't sure but she had to try. Luckily, as the birthday girl, she was getting free drinks left and right. She felt a little braver thanks to all that liquid courage. The music started so she skipped over to Antonio and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hey yourself. Whatta ya need?"

"Teach me how to dance to this?" She batted her eyes.

"Sure." He took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"What's this song about?" She asked once she'd learned the basic steps.

"La Gozadera is Spanish for 'big party'. Basically it's mentioning stuff about all Latin American countries." He spun her out and pulled her back in. "You dance very well."

"Pretty sure it's all the alcohol."

Antonio laughed. "Sure it is."

The music faded out to 'You Shine' by Andrew Simple.

' _Finally!'_ Antonio thought. He'd requested this song about an hour ago.

Jes went to pull away.

"Wait…" His voice almost pleaded. "I've been waiting all night for this… uh… I requested this song to dance…. With you." He felt like a teenager again.

Blood rushed to Jes' cheeks. "Really?"

He nodded. He, too, was blushing but because of the lighting in the bar, no one could see.

"Dance with me?" He asked after taking a deep breath.

"Of course, Antonio."

The two seemed lost in their own world and for once, everything felt right.

Everyone had their eyes on the floor. Well, everyone except Jay, who was a little too inebriated to notice. They all saw it, but they said nothing because they knew Jay's rule was trumped by Antonio and Jes' happiness.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Erin approached them as the song ended.

"Hey guys." She pointed to Jay. "He's plastered. I'm gonna take him back to my place."

Antonio arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Can you drive her home?" Erin ignored the questioning look

"Sure."

"I don't wanna leave yet." Jes butted in.

"We'll leave when you're ready. Just go say good night to Jay." Antonio pointed in Jay's general direction. He whispered in her ear. "Don't worry, baby. I'm not going anywhere."

That was good enough for her. Jes followed Erin to bid her brother 'Good night'.

Antonio went back to the bar.

"Well?" Gaby appeared out of nowhere.

"Jesus, woman!" Antonio jumped.

"Well?" Her tone was more prying.

"We danced. I told her I'd be waiting for that all night."

"And?"

"God, you're annoying." He muttered. "She was happy. I didn't get anywhere near asking her on a date because Erin came to ask me to drive her home. Jay's done for the night."

"Ah, well, that gives you time to ask her."

She made a good point. "I will. We're not leaving yet. She's having too much fun."

"Good." She grinned. "What about you?"

"What about me what?"

"Are you having fun?"

He nodded. "Being around her just feels right."

"Told ya."

Gaby and Antonio were so focused on their conversation that they didn't notice Jes or Jacquie approaching them.

A well-known dance song came on. Jes grabbed his arm. "Come dance with me!" She giggled.

"Don't you want time with Jacquie?" He looked around. "Where'd she go?"

Jes pointed to the dance floor. "She went to get Kevin. Come on, please? Dance with me?"

Antonio took her hand and followed her to the floor. They dance and danced. Something he hadn't done in ages. When they got thirsty, Jes and Jacquie were pounding back shots while Kevin and Antonio kept a close eye on them to make sure they didn't over do it. Both detectives knew that these young women would have massive hangovers tomorrow.

"I think we should call it a night, huh ladies?" Antonio pointed out.

Jacquie was barely able to stand but was still laughing and giggling. Kevin had to help her to his car. "I'll take her to Jes' place. Her stuff was brought there this morning."

Antonio nodded in agreement. "You may want to stay, you know keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't get sick."

"Definitely." With that Kevin scooped Jacquie into her arms and left. She was giggling and humming the whole time.

Antonio turned to Jes who was giddy and holding onto a barstool. Almost everyone had left. Gaby and Christopher were beginning the clean up. "Okay missy. Let's get you home."

"Anything you want, detective." Her speech was slightly slurred.

He put his arm around her and led her to his truck. He'd have to ask her later when she was sober.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Kevin had gotten Jacquie into bed and was laying on the futon that was in her room. She'd gotten into bed easily enough. Antonio, on the other hand, had his work cut out for him.

"I'm not sleepy!" She whined.

"No, you're drunk."

"I'm not going to bed in this dress." She crossed her arms.

"Then change."

"I can't undo it." She was pouting.

"So…"

"You need to change me, detective."

Antonio gaped at her. "What?"

"Get me outta this dress, and then I'll go to bed."

"Your brother will kill me."

"He's not here."

"Jes…" He took a deep breath. He was in a moral and hormonal combat. "I won't do anything… not now and not until you're ready and want to. Definitely not when you're like this. I care too much about you to take advantage of you."

"I know that, Antonio. You're a good man. While I would love to have this… woah…" She swayed. "The room's spinning."

Antonio grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "Come here. I got you."

She nuzzled into his chest. "Please help me get this dress off?" She sounded half out of it.

"Sure thing, baby." He reached one arm around her and pulled gently on the zipper. He then carefully pushed the straps off her shoulders. The dress fell to the ground. Jes stood there in her bra and panties. Antonio swept her into his arms and carried her to her bed. He lay her down and pulled the blanket over her. He turned to leave.

"No, wait."

He turned back. "Please don't leave me." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I can sleep in the living room."

She shook her head. "No. With me… Please? I don't want nightmares when I'm drunk."

"Jes, I don't want to overstep any boundaries…"

"Antonio, you're an honourable man. I'm just asking for you to hold me while I sleep."

"Okay." He stripped down to his boxer briefs. "But, you will sleep."

Antonio crawled into bed next to her. She cuddled up to him. He gently stroked her back.

"Thank-you." She whispered sleepily.

"No problem, baby."

She pulled herself up and stroked his cheek. Then she kissed him deeply. While he was surprised, Antonio didn't pull back. Before he knew it, his hormones were controlling him. "Baby, no wait…"

"Was that too forward?"

"No, that was amazing. You are amazing." He breathed deeply. "I want more but I wanna do it right. I wanna go on a date with you, and get to know you."

"Name the date, place, time and attire needed. I'll be there."

"When you've sobered up."

"Yes sir, detective." She kissed him again.

Soon, she was fast asleep as he held her closely, he too drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

 _ **Next morning…**_

Antonio awoke to the most dangerous sentence known to man being bellowed from the doorway. "What the fuck is going on here?!"

* * *

 _ **A/N: This is where I'll leave it off. I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks to all of you who have favourited, followed or reviewed on this story so far! I'm working on Ch. 6 right now. I'll be working on it on the flight home. :D**_


	7. Stay With Me

_**A/N : We're back with our next installment of " The Rose ". Yes, I know… lots of cliffhangers, but how will I keep you coming back otherwise? Hope you enjoy it. It's going to be following parts of the show, but not completely. Let me know what you think! Love you all! Nicole**_

* * *

" _What the fuck is going on here?! "_

* * *

Antonio tried to jump out of the bed, but couldn't. He looked down. Jes was still sound asleep and her arms were tightly wrapped around him. He looked to the doorway and prayed Jay wasn't the one there.

Kevin's tall frame filled the doorway. " Seriously, Antonio? "

" Shh! " Antonio hissed. " She's still asleep. "

" Jay said she's off-limits to cops and yet… "

" We didn't have sex. For fuck's sake. She didn't want to be alone, so I stayed. "

" I suggest getting outta there. Jay's on his way back. "

" Dam nit! " He didn't want to, but he woke Jes. " Baby. Come on, sweetheart. That's it. Time to wake up. "

" Mmhmph. 5 more minutes. " Came the grumbled response.

" Jay's on his way. Come on, Jes. "

She slowly sat up and quickly pulled up the blanket as soon as she noticed they weren't alone. " Uh, hi Kevin. " She looked around. " This is not what it looks like. "

" So Antonio says. Jay called. They're on their way. He wants to check up on you. "

" Uh huh. Hey, why is your shirt inside out? " She pointed at the tag. " And backwards? "

Kevin tried to stutter out an answer.

" We slept together. " Jacquie's voice came from behind Kevin.

" Dios mio! " Antonio shook his head. " This is too much. It's like the telenovelas my mom watches. "

" Okay, Jacquie, go deal with Kevin. We'll sort ourselves out here. " Jes made a shooing motion.

As soon as her bedroom door was closed, she turned to face Antonio. " Thank you. "

" For what? "

" Last night. "

" You were pretty wasted. "

" I was tispy, not drunk. I remember everything. I know I tried getting… and you told me 'no'. You said you wanted to go on a real date, to get to know me. "

" Damn. "

" I also told you to choose a day, time and place, Detective. You never gave me an answer. "

" I didn't think you meant it. " He replied honestly.

" I meant it. Still do. " She wrapped her arms around his neck. " I also remember this. " She kissed him.

" Oh, Jes. " He moaned. " I remember that too. "

" I mean it, Antonio. Plan a date and tell me when, where and what I should wear. I'll be there. "

" What about Jay? His rule? "

" Fuck him! And the rule! If I'm happy, shouldn't that be all that matters? Plus, he's one to talk. He's seeing Erin, even though I know Hank told him she's off-limits. "

" Can't argue with that, but how 'bout we focus on us, and when the time is right, we'll tell him. "

Jes noticed that he had said 'when' not 'if'. " Deal. "

This time Antonio kissed her. The desire between them was almost too much. He broke off the kiss. " I shouldn't of done that. Go shower, and change. I'll meet you in the kitchen, so Jay isn't suspicious. "

" Okay. " She hopped out of the bed and went into the master bath. As soon as Antonio head the shower run, he threw on his clothes, careful to make sure it was on right. He headed to the kitchen. Jay wasn't there yet. Jacquie was in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee.

" Good morning. " They greeted each other.

" Any coffee left? " He asked.

" Here. " She poured him a mug.

" Thanks. " He gratefully took it. He took a sip. " This is good coffee. "

" I get it imported. " She smiled, but it quickly turned into a grimace. " Ohh, hangovers suck. "

" Where's the coffee from? " He swore that the taste was familiar.

" The Dominican. It's Santo Domingo. " She smiled, not as big as to prevent the blinding pain from the hangover.

" That's why it's familiar. It's all my parents will drink. I missed it. "

" Dominicano? " She asked with a slight accent.

" Si, pero nacido y criado aqui en Chicago. Y tú? "

" I'm born and raised Canadian like Jes. My mom's Dominican. My dad's a Scot. I spent a lot of my summers in the Dominican with my mom's family. "

" Your Spanish barely has an accent. " He was savouring the coffee. " I may just have to pop by more often. "

" For the coffee, or something else? " She arched an eyebrow.

" We didn't have sex. " Jes appeared around the corner. " He stopped my nightmares. "

" Then I won't rat him out to Jay, but I swear… "

" Okay, enough with the threats. " Jes handed Jacquie a bottle of Advil. " Take these. "

" How is it that you drank as much if not more than me and you're this peppy? " Jacquie growled. " It's not fair. "

" One, I'm French. Two, I didn't do tequila shots. " Jes laughed. " Tequila's a cruel mistress and you haven't learned this yet. "

"Oh, shut up!" Jacquie poured herself more coffee.

Jes took the opportunity to poke about Kevin. "So you and Kevin, huh?"

"Not a word."

Antonio finished his coffee and went about making a breakfast that was known to cure the worst hangovers. "Kevin's a great guy." He chimed in.

"Yeah, I know he is…" Jacquie sighed. "I made the choice and pushed…"

"I'm a big boy." Kevin said as he came back into the kitchen. "I coulda said no."

"Where'd you go?" Antonio questioned.

"Get some milk and these." He pulled out a bouquet of vibrant daisies. He handed them to Jacquie. "I guess you and I do things in a different order than normal, but I'd really like to take you out to dinner one night."

"I'd love that." She tried to kiss his cheek, but at 5'2" and Kevin being at least a whole foot taller, he had to bend down to receive it. "Just so you know, 'normal' is just a setting on the dryer."

The whole kitchen erupted into laughter. "What's so funny?" Jay asked as he and Erin came in the back door.

"Just discussing laundry." Kevin replied. He had Antonio's back, the same was Jacquie had Jes'.

"I must still be too drunk to see how laundry could be funny." Jay mumbled. He looked at his sister. "How's your head this morning? Gaby sent me your tab."

"I'm fine." Jes smiled. "I don't get hangovers, remember?"

"Lucky bitch." Jacquie hip checked her best friend.

Jes just stuck her tongue out at Jacquie.

"Clearly, you survived and are doing fine." Jay grimaced. "I, however, am dying. So, Erin, if you could kindly drive me home, so I can suffer in silence?"

"Sure thing." Erin handed him the keys. "I'll be right there, just need to borrow the little girls' room."

Jay hugged Jes. "I'll call you later."

"Feel better." She kissed his cheek.

Once Jay was out of earshot, Erin turned to the four others. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Antonio asked as he served up pancakes.

"Don't play coy with my Antonio." Erin replied. "You two are sneaking around, we all see it. Except Jay." She pointed to Jes and Antonio.

"We danced last night, Erin. That's it." Jes replied simply.

"Everyone sees how you look at each other." Erin wasn't backing down.

"Look Erin," Antonio stepped between Erin and Jes. "What we do is our business, same as you and Jay. So back off."

"Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut for now, but if this goes somewhere, you **will** tell him… or I will" She stomped out of the house.

"Who is she and who shat in her Cheerios this morning?" Jacquie asked.

"She… is a problem." Antonio replied. "She's also a fucking hypocrite."

"How long you think before she tells Halstead?" Kevin wondered.

"Who knows?!" Antonio looked around. His cell began to ring. It was Asher calling. "Hang on." He left to go to the living room. "Dawson."

"Hey, I'm coming back later tonight from a diamond run. I need you to pick me up at 3."

"Sure. Send me the details and I'll be there."

"Use the car." Asher ended the call.

He went back into the kitchen. "Hey, Jes, can we talk?"

"Sure." She led him into the study and closed the doors. "What's up?"

"About the date…"

"You're not backing out, are you, Detective?"

He loved the way she said 'Detective'. "No, no way. I meant it when I said I wanted to take you out. I wanted to do it tonight, but my private security gig needs me. But I have a place in mind…" He took a step closer to her. "And an idea of what you should wear…" Another step. He was right in front of her. "The day and time will have to be a surprise." He leaned down a little and kissed her.

"Mmm." She stroked her cheek. "Deal. Just call me and I'll just need an hour's notice."

"Definitely." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Before I forget. Diego asked me if I could ask you to be their tutor?"

"They struggle?"

"No, it's because of the divorce and custody crap. They're falling behind."

"Sure. I'd love to. Your kids are awesome."

"They think the same of you. Plus, I'd get to see you more when I bring them by or you come over… whichever will work for you. Jay wouldn't be suspicious if you tell him you're their tutor."

"So, you have ulterior motives?" She whispered seductively.

"Maybe." He kissed her lightly. "I've gotta get going. I'll call you about the date."

"Alright."

"You'll need to catch up with Jacquie anyhow. I know where you live and I know your cell. Don't worry, I'm not going to break my promise."

"Okay. Let me know when you want the tutoring to start." She kissed him again. "I…" She stopped herself. She couldn't say it. It was too soon. "Thank you, for everything."

Antonio suspected she had meant to say something else, but didn't push it. "I'll call you later tonight, baby."

Neither of them wanted him to go but they knew he had to. He kissed her and left. She knew it wasn't 'good bye', but part of her still ached when he left. She made her way back to the kitchen, but Jacquie was nowhere to be found. She went back to the living room where Minion was sunbathing. She picked up the kitten and began playing with her.

"Finally got your cat, huh?" Jacquie's voice took her by surprise.

"Yeah." Jes smiled and handed Minion over to Jacquie. "It's easier to have a cat when you own your own place than renting."

Jacquie looked from the wriggling ball of fur. "Woah, woah. Rewind. You brought this place?"

Jes nodded.

"With what money?"

"My inheritance. Well, part of it."

"Holy shit!"

"Breow!" The kitten jumped from Jacquie's grasp and went to chase after one of her jingle balls Jes had gotten for her.

"I got a good deal." Jes rationalized. "Jay's got connections everywhere."

"I can see that." Jacquie sat genie style on the couch. "I also saw how much everyone raised for P2K."

"I never saw a total."

"Between your initial start-up, individual donations as well as the donations from the CFD and CPD not to mention the money from last night… We've got close to a million lined up."

"Holy shit!"

Jacquie laughed.

"Seriously?"

"Yup." Jacquie smiled. "Kevin told me."

"Damn!" Jes was shocked. "I knew it was a lot, but not that much."

"Well, it is. Where are we setting up shop?"

"Right next to the boxing gym Antonio goes to and got to partner with us."

"Uh huh. Does the location have anything to do with Detective Salsa?"

Jes threw a pillow at Jacquie's head. "Shut up!"

The two laughed and planned out what they wanted for P2K.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Antonio called Jes quickly before Asher's flight landed. He wanted to know how she was. He missed being away from her, and it hadn't even been a whole day yet. This was different than when he had been with Laura. He had missed her, yes, but not to this extent. This was a very different feeling. He'd be happy to finish dealing with Asher and he could go home and get some sleep before his shift the next day. He didn't need to get shit from Voight for not being focused, or for Jay to catch on that he was dating Jes. "Hey baby."

"Hey! Everything alright? It's almost 2 am."

"I figured you may still be up. I wanted to say good night."

"Awe. You're sweet. Yeah. Jacquie and I just worked out a rough plan of how to make P2K work."

"What about catching up?"

"Once we have a plan for P2K, we can catch up. She's not going anywhere."

"True. Well, you should get some sleep. I'm about to be on duty with this security thing anyhow."

"Okay, good night Antonio." She blew a kiss over the line. "Be safe."

"Always, baby. Sweet dreams. I'll talk to you soon." He ended the call. He contemplated their date. He wanted to take her out, make her feel like a queen. He also knew that eventually, they'd have to deal with sex. He shook his head. Sex was a long time away. Or at least, he thought it would be. She had never been with anyone in a romantic way, he'd have to take his time and be gentle. He took a deep breath of the crisp night air. He had to clear his mind. Focusing on the task at hand was key. He wasn't getting paid by Asher to be unfocused. He looked up and saw Asher descending the steps of the plane. He got out of the car and went around to open the door.

"We have to make a stop." Asher stated.

"It's 4am."

"Well, it was a productive trip… and I don't want these in the house." Asher motioned to the briefcase cuffed to his wrist.

Antonio shut the door, shook his head and got back behind the wheel of the car. These late night diamond runs were gonna bite him in the ass one day.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

The next day, Jes was folding laundry in the living room when Jacquie came down the stairs. "Hey, is the dashing Latin Detective gonna ever ask you out or what?" She watched as Jes' face turned red. "Oh my God! He already did, didn't he? Didn't he?" Jacquie bounded to the couch and began to poke Jes in the ribs.

"Gak!" Jes tried to deflect the attack but to no avail. "Stop that."

"Not until you tell me."

"Okay!" She squealed. "Okay."

Jacquie stopped. "Dish."

"Well, you know that I told him everything."

"Uh huh…"

"Well, he said that he doesn't judge because the past is the past."

"And?"

"He says I'm going to do great things. He refused to do anything the other night because he thought I was wasted. He also told me that as much as he'd like more, he wants to go slow and do things the right way."

"Okay… sooo?"

"So what?"

"When are you guys going to go on your date?" Jacquie was exasperated. "Jesus, woman! This is like pulling teeth from a mule."

Jes smirked. "Keep that up and I won't tell you jack."

Jacquie blew a raspberry.

"Real mature. He said he had one planned, but he'd surprise me because of his two jobs."

"OMG!" Jacquie squealed. "I'm so excited for you!"

"Did you seriously just say 'OMG'?" Jes snickered. "He also asked me if I would tutor his kids."

"WOAH! Hang on. You told me he was getting a divorce, you didn't say anything about kids being involved. Jes, that's a whole other ball game!"

Jes glared at her. "Really? Of all the things you could find wrong with the guy, it's that he has kids?"

"Uh, well, step-moms aren't usually liked. Especially once the kids are teens."

"Well, Diego is about to be 10 and Eva is 14. I've met them already. They specifically asked Antonio if I would be their tutor. They asked."

"Hmm."

"Look, Antonio's got ten years on me. He's getting divorced from a woman who didn't understand his job. He's got two kids who need stability. I understand his job and I've worked with kids my whole life."

"Jes, working with them and helping raise them are two very different things."

"So you're telling me that I _shouldn't_ date him?"

"No…"

"Then what's the problem? What are you trying to tell me?"

"I just don't wanna see you get hurt again."

"He won't. He's been hurt too. Look, can't I at least try?"

Jacquie sighed. "Yes. But does he know…"

"Does he know I was raped? Almost murdered? Can't have kids of my own?"

"Yeah." Jacquie felt bad for putting Jes through this, but she needed to make sure that Jes was safe.

"He does. He personally wanted to kill the bastard. He woke me up from one of those nightmares. He knows the whole thing. He… he was kind. It doesn't seem to be a big deal. He actually, genuinely cares. Look, I've never felt this happy… this safe. Ever. Not since that night."

"Okay, but if he ever hurts you… cop or not, he's done."

"Deal." Jes hugged her housemate. "Now, what about you and Kevin?"

"Uh…"

"Come on. How was it?"

"The sex was… amazing. He's awesome. Funny, caring. Did you know he's raising his little sister on his own?" Jacquie took a shaky breath. "I just, I don't know what got into me. I don't usually sleep with guys I just met."

"I know, but at least he wants to get to know you. Take you out and stuff." Jes grinned. "Did you plan a date?"

"Yeah, for tonight. If it's good with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because… I just got back, we've only been planning P2K, we haven't had time to catch up."

"We'll have all the time in the world to catch up. Go! Have fun. I'll find something to do around here."

"Okay. Tomorrow, we'll do a girls' day." Jacquie hugged Jes and went to get ready for her night out.

Jes headed up to her room. She hadn't really had time to absorb all the changes. She checked her cell. There was a missed call. _'How did I miss a call?'_ She wondered. It didn't take long to figure out it was still on vibrate. She entered her voicemail pin and listened to her message.

"Hey baby." It was Antonio! She giggled. "You're probably busy catching up with Jacquie. Just calling to… well to say hi. Uh, call me when you get this."

"Everything okay?" Jacquie was standing in her doorway, putting in earrings.

"Yeah. Uh, just checking my voicemail. How'd you find me?"

Jacquie pointed to the floor. Jes looked down. Minion was there, rubbing up against her bedpost. "She must've followed you up here."

"Silly kitty." Jes said as she picked up the vibrating fur ball from the floor. "You keep getting into trouble."

"How so?"

"Antonio stepped on her tail the first night I had her."

"What?!"

"Yeah, I was using his Jacuzzi like had told me I could. He had gone to Molly's and came back home drunk. Minion was asleep outside the bathroom door and he was going to take a shower. He stepped on her tail as he went to open the bathroom door. Needless to say, his towel went flying and well…"

"Hang on… towel? You've seen the man naked?"

Jes did a facepalm. "That's what you got from that? Is it that unbelievable?"

Jacquie shrugged. "Is he at least… you know, well endowed?"

Jes threw a toss cushion at her housemate. It beaned her right in the face. "How would you like it if I asked you that question about Kevin?"

The pillow flew back. "I'd say he's very well endowed and has very talented…"

"TMI!" Jes screeched as she covered her ears. "TMI!"

Jacquie laughed uncontrollably.

"You haven't changed Jacquie."

"Well, is Antonio…"

"Yeah. I guess. I don't know."

Jacquie stopped. "Oh sweetie! I'm sorry. I'm being heartless."

"It's fine. I've just never actually had sex, other than…"

"No! Jes. You've never had sex. What that bastard did to you wasn't sex."

"So, basically, you're telling me I'm still a virgin?"

Jacquie nodded. "Yeah. You never had sex since that night. So for all intents and purposes, you're still a virgin."

"Great." Jes pouted.

"Jes, sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Don't get me wrong, Antonio's everything I could ever ask for in a man and more. I'm just not sure he's into being with…"

"Okay. Stop it right there! Stop right now." Jacquie grabbed Jes by the shoulders. "He asked you. Remember? You just spent an hour defending him and now you're second-guessing yourself. You've always done that. If he knows the whole story and he still wants to go out with you, then obviously he cares about you and not your sexual experience."

"So, should I call him back?"

"He's the one who left the message?"

Jes nodded.

"Then, yes, please! I'll go finish getting ready. Come find me when you're done." She kissed Jes on the cheek. "It'll be fine. Love you!" Jacquie skipped out of the room.

Jes thumbed her phone and looked to Minion. "What do you think?"

Minion hopped off the bed. "Prouff." She rolled around on the floor.

"Well, you're helpful." Jes said as she hit Antonio's name in her contact list.

It began ringing as Jacquie shouted from the bathroom. "Will you stop asking the damned cat for advice and call him already?!"

"Call who already?" Antonio's voice came over the speaker, smooth as silk, causing to jump.

"Uh, hi!" She stammered.

"Hi yourself. So who's Jacquie talking about?"

"You." Jes whispered.

"So you were asking the cat if you should call me?"

"Uh…"

"It's okay, baby. I'm glad you called." He sounded happy. "I take you got my message?"

"Yeah." She felt like she was sixteen again.

"Why you acting all shy all of a sudden?" Antonio laughed. "It's me. You don't have to be shy around me."

"I know." Jes sighed. "I guess I was surprised you asked to call."

"Ah. Yeah. I guess I could've been a little clearer. Nothing's wrong. Uh, I know that Kevin's taking Jacquie out tonight and Jay's busy dealing with paperwork…"

"Yeah."

"How would you like to come over? I can teach you how to grill. Like I promised."

"Is this that date you were talking about?" Jes asked tentatively.

"Not that surprised one, but we could count this as a date. I still want to take you somewhere special."

"Okay. Sounds good. Uh, what time should I be there?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"Okay, I'll uh, just change and head out. See you in about half an hour?"

"Sounds good."

"See you soon, Antonio."

"Definitely babe." Antonio blew a kiss over the phone before ending the call.

"Well, I guess I should change." Jes said to herself.

"Well?" Jacquie had reappeared in the doorway.

"He, uh, wants… invited me over to teach me how to grill."

"Oh. Well, then…" Jacquie pointed at her outfit. "I don't think your PJs are appropriate attire for a BBQ."

"Thanks Captain Obvious."

"Kevin's here. Just wanted to tell you not to wait up."

Jes cocked her head to the side as she made her way to her closet. "Are we planning on being frisky again?"

"Who knows? What about you?"

"It's dinner, Jacquie. No sex."

"Okay, well… have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She shouted as she ran towards the front door to grab a jacket.

"So basically, I can do anything?" Jes shouted back.

"Ha ha!" Came the sarcastic response as the front door closed.

Jes turned back to her closet. "Now, what to wear?"

It took about 10 minutes before she settled on a vibrant purple tunic and a pair of jean leggings. She added her signature knee-high black wedge boots and simple jewellery to round out her whole outfit. She quickly applied light make-up. After a final check in the mirror, she grabbed her keys and headed out.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Antonio had been unsure about asking Jes over for a grilling lesson, but he was glad he had. He'd tidied up the minor mess that had been left behind by Diego and Eva. He took a quick shower. He wasn't sure of what would happen tonight, but he wanted to be ready. He changed into a pair of black jeans and a deep blue t-shirt. He was pulling the steaks from the fridge when the doorbell rang. He took a deep breath and went to answer it. He was disappointed when he opened the door.

"Laura?" He looked around. "What the fuck are you doing here? Where are the kids?"

"At home." Laura crossed her arms. "What's this about you hiring a tutor for Diego and Eva?"

"Did you seriously drive all the way here to bitch me out because I care about our children's education?"

"You didn't ask me."

"I don't have to. You're not paying for it." He snapped.

"I don't care. They don't need it."

"Seriously? They asked and you're saying no?"

Laura nodded.

"Too fucking bad. They're getting help. I won't let our divorce fuck up their lives."

"They're not gonna get tutored by some bimbo either!" She retorted.

"She's not a bimbo! She's a teacher." He was furious. "Wait, I don't need to justify to myself to you! You walked out on me! You ended it!"

"Because you were never there! Your job trumped us. My children never had a father." Her voice was venomous. "You can't just pretend to be a dad whenever…"

"Stop right there!" He shouted. "You bitch! You spiteful bitch! I'd give me life for them. I would've given my life for you. I don't care what lies you tell people or the judge, our children are my life. I'm using my days with them to make sure they stay on top of their school. Now leave!"

"But…"

"No, Laura. No! Leave. Go date the next moron of the week, and yes, I know about the guys."

Laura, speechless, turned on her heel and stomped off. She crashed into Jes as she stomped to her Jeep. "Watch where you're going!" Laura slammed the door and tore off down the street.

Jes stood in shock in the middle of the driveway. Antonio rushed to her side. "You okay, baby?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah. I think." She pointed to the disappearing taillights. "Who the fuck was that?"

Antonio shook his head. "That… was Laura. My ex-wife."

"Oh…" Jes wasn't sure what to say. "What did she want? Are Eva and Diego okay?"

"They're fine. Let's go inside… I'll tell you the rest in the house. Don't want to risk her coming back and flipping her shit…"

"Sure. Um, here… I didn't know if red or white would be best, so I bought both."

"You didn't have to." He took her hand and they started to make their way to the house.

"Well, you're teaching me to grill, the least I could do is bring the wine." She replied as Antonio closed the door.

He took the bottles from her and placed them on the table next to the door. "Let's start over." He kissed her. "Hi."

"Hi." She smiled as warmth filled her cheeks.

"I'm glad you could come." His smile was captivating.

"I'm glad you invited me, Detective. I'm glad to see you're a man of your word. So, food?"

"Sure." He laughed. "Lead the way."

As he showed her how he marinated and dry rubbed the steaks, he explained his latest confrontation with Laura.

"So she accuses you of being a dead-beat dad and she doesn't want you to get a tutor for your kids?"

Antonio sighed and nodded. "Pretty much."

"What a bitch!" She covered her mouth. "Oops."

"Hey, I'm a cop. I've heard much worse things."

"I don't even know her. She's the mother of your children, but from what you're telling me… pisses me right off. She sounds like my mom when she divorced my dad."

"I'm sorry, baby." He wrapped her arms around her. "This is supposed to be a fun night."

"It is. So steak and what else?" She asked. "For me, food is fun."

"What do you recommend? Jacquie said living with you is like being in the Iron Chef kitchen or something."

Jes covered her face. "Oh my God! I can't believe she told you that."

"Why are you embarrassed?" Antonio took her hands in his. "I think that your generation tends to lack that skill."

"My generation?" She snickered.

"You know what I mean." He stroked her cheek. "So what sides do you recommend?"

Jes did an inventory of Antonio's fridge and pantry. "I see you're actually stocking your kitchen."

"I have to now. Never know when I'll have company."

"You're sneaky, Detective."

"Did I ever tell you how much I love it when you call me that?" He whispered.

"Oh, really?" Jes feigned being coy.

"Yes. So sides?" Antonio had to change the subject. As much as he wanted to give into his carnal urges, he had to give Jes time.

"I make this awesome cheesy baked potato and we could grill some of that corn. I also can whip up a quick salad."

"You think fast on your feet. You know that?"

"As a teacher, I had to. I think it'll be the same for running the youth centre."

"Fair enough. You teach me the way of sides and once they're ready, we'll grill."

The two laughed and talked. Jes felt completely at ease with him. Antonio hadn't felt this good in years. It felt like he had known Jes for years, not just a couple months. He laughed as she screamed when the flames flared up on the grill when she put the steaks down.

"Jesus!" She yelped.

"Hey, baby, it's okay. That's normal." He held her.

"I told you, I'm not good at this."

"You're amazing." He whispered in her ear. "I'm so happy you came."

"You've mentioned that before. I was looking forward to our date night."

"This isn't the surprise I have planned baby."

"I know, but this still counts as a date." She was struggling internally to not jump him. Her hormones were racing. She was also struggling with her feelings towards Antonio. She shouldn't care about him this much. She thought it was too soon, but she also hoped he felt the same way.

Antonio had so much he wanted to tell her. He felt happy with her. He was willing to lay his life down for her. _'Woah!'_ He thought to himself. _'I'm falling for her.'_ He had to restrain himself from letting her know. He didn't want to scare her off.

If either of them knew how the other felt, it would've been that much easier.

"Do you think Erin will tell Jay?" Jes asked as they tided up after they had eaten.

"Who knows?" Antonio was worried about that particular situation. "How pissed will your brother be if he finds out that we're seeing each other?"

"I don't know. I've never dated before, well…"

"What happened six years ago don't count."

"So we're dating?" She asked tentatively as she sipped her wine. Maybe it was the wine talking.

"Do you want us to be?"

"Questions with questions, Detective?" She giggled, finishing her wine.

"Sure. I'd like us to be dating, but only if you want and are ready to."

"I'd really like that. I'm just not how to date." Her shyness was coming back with a vengeance.

"There's no right or wrong, baby. We just have to work on it."

"You're worried about something." She touched his arm softly. "You can talk to me. I'm a good listener."

He led her to the couch. "My job. It's not easy. It's not exactly healthy for a relationship."

"You think teaching is?" She took his face in her hands. "There's no job under the sun that's beneficial to a relationship, but from what my dad used to tell me before the divorce, a relationship is built on trust, respect, love and honesty. Now I know that your job isn't easy and there will be things that you can't talk about. I get that, but if you can be honest with me, I'm willing to make everything work."

"Won't you worry about me?"

"Yeah, but I also worry about Jay. I know there's risks, but you have to be open in a relationship."

"I can live with that." He kissed her deeply.

Her body pushed into his. She gently nibbled his bottom lip. He moaned. Their bodies were pushed tightly together. His hands slid to her hips and he pulled her onto him. Jes was straddling him as he began to kiss her neck and into her collarbone.

"Antonio." She gasped. She pulled at his t-shirt.

Just then the doorbell rang.

Jes yelped. Antonio reached behind the couch to move the curtains. "Shit. Now what does she want?"

Jes slid from her lap. "Laura's back?"

Antonio nodded. "Go wait for me in the kitchen. She's the last person I want knowing about us." The doorbell rang again, incessantly this time. "I'm coming."

Jes did as Antonio asked. He went to the door. He took a deep breath and opened it. There on his doorstep stood not only Laura, but also Diego and Eva. "What's going on?" He asked as calmly as he could manage.

"My friend's mom is really sick, and I'm going with them to be with her."

"Just like that?" Antonio was suspicious.

"It's not like the woman just decided 'Hey, I'm gonna start dying today'." She crossed her arms. "Can you watch the kids while I'm gone?"

"Yeah. How long will that be?"

"A week, week and a half?" She tapped her foot impatiently. She looked at the driveway. "Whose car is that?" Her tone suggested she was jealous. "You already sleeping around?" She snapped.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black!" He paused. "Kids, go wait inside. Jes is here. She's looking at what your teachers sent me to get you guys caught up." The kids ran past him and he turned his attention back to Laura. "Jes is their tutor. I asked her to come over and see where the kids need to focus."

"So you're not banging her?"

"Unlike you, I'm waiting until our divorce is finalized. Though I have my suspicions that you were doing this long before you up and left. Plus she's Jay's sister."

"Whatever." The car horn honked from the street. "I've gotta go. I'll let you know when I'm back."

Antonio didn't even get a chance to reply because Laura was gone. He shut and locked the door. "Guys?"

"Kitchen!" Diego shouted.

Antonio made his way back to the kitchen. Maybe he'd find a way to use Intelligence's equipment to find out what Laura was really up to. "What's going on in here?"

"We're talking school strategies." Jes grinned as Diego hugged her. "After they grilled me about us… specifically if you'd asked me out yet?"

"Yeah, about that…" Antonio laughed nervously. "They kinda suggested it. Seems like neither of us were good at hiding our feelings."

"Understatement of the year, Daddy." Eva quipped.

The four were laughing and enjoying making scratch made popcorn when Antonio's cell began to ring. He looked at the caller ID. It was Jay. "Oh shit!"

"Who is it?" Jes asked.

"Your brother."

"Uncle Jay doesn't know?" Eva looked between her father and Jes.

Both adults shook their heads.

"Answer it." Jes was worried. "He'll get suspicious."

Antonio nodded and made a sign to the others to be quiet. "Hey Jay."

"Do you know where Jes is? I just stopped by her place and I ended up… uh… walking in on Atwater and Jacquie."

"Oh, well, Jes is here. Laura dumped the kids off and I hired Jes to catch them up on the school they missed because of the divorce proceedings."

"Can't asked for anyone better to help them. Alright, uh, can I talk to her quick?"

"Why didn't you just call her?"

"Phone's going to voicemail."

"Ah. Here she is." Antonio handed her his cell.

"Hey, Jay. Sorry, my cell died. I forgot to grab a charger. What's up?"

"I was gonna take you out for supper tonight, but you're helping Eva and Diego. That's more important."

"I'm sorry Jay."

"Hey, you're helping kids. It's what you were born to do. Maybe another night?"

"Definitely. Love you big brother."

"Love you too sis. Thanks for helping Antonio and the kids."

"He did keep me safe. I owe him."

"Alright. Well, night."

"Night, Jay." She ended the call. "That was close."

"You're telling me." Antonio took his phone back and put it in his pocket.

"So, why don't we want Uncle Jay knowing about you two?" Eva questioned.

"Because he doesn't want me dating a cop."

Diego snorted. "That's a stupid rule."

"We agree with you, son." Antonio ruffled Diego's hair.

Jes looked at her watch. "I should be going."

"No way." Antonio took the keys from her hands. "Not with the amount of wine we've both consumed."

"He's got a point." Eva grinned.

"Fine." Jes surrendered. "Let me tidy up in here."

"I'll get these two to bed. It's still a school night." Antonio turned to the kids. "Say 'good night' to Jes, guys. She'll be here when you get up."

After a round of hugs and 'good nights', Eva and Diego were off. When Antonio returned, he hugged Jes. "Shall we hit the hay?"

"Guest room all made up?"

"No. I uh, was thinking, or rather hoping… that you would stay with me… in my bed."

"Won't that be weird? Since it was the bed you shared with Laura?"

"Got rid of it and got a new one… for my new life."

"What about the kids?"

"You saw them, Jes. They're fine. Are you worried about… us being intimate?"

"Uh, sorta, just don't want to screw up what we have."

"Baby, we'll go at your pace." He kissed her.

"Then, let's go to bed." She let him lead the way to his bedroom.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

 _ **The next morning…**_

Jes was awake before the alarm sounded. They'd agreed on getting up at 6 so Jes could make them breakfast.

"I'd like you to come with me to bring the kids to school."

"Why?" Jes asked as she sifted flour into a stand mixer.

"As their tutor, you might have to pick them up every now and then, especially if I can't." He wrapped his arms around her. "Plus, since we're dating, I think it's only right."

"Mmm, wait… you have to be pre-approved to pick them up from their school? That doesn't happen in Canada, unless it's a fancy prep school."

"Their school is a semi-private Catholic school. They take the students' safety seriously."

"Ah, well then. Okay."

"I'm pretty sure Laura's 'friend' is already added to the list. I'd prefer someone I can trust."

"I'll gladly help out. I adore your kids."

"We like you too!" Diego's voice came from the kitchen doorway.

"Smells really good in here." Eva smiled.

"Don't you guys look good." Jes pointed to their uniforms. "Well, at least you guys don't have to spend hours picking out your outfits."

"What's for breakfast?" Diego sat at the table.

"Always thinking with your stomach, huh, son?" Antonio laughed. "Ask Jes. She's the chef."

"Apple cinnamon pancakes with bacon."

"Wow!" Eva took a whiff of the plate that Antonio placed in front of her. "Looks really good."

Diego wasted no time inhaling his portion.

"Jes?"

"Yeah, Eva?"

"Could you teach me to cook like this?"

Jes looked to Antonio. She was in shock. "Uh, sure sweetie. Whenever we're not doing school stuff."

"Thanks. Mom… doesn't seem to have the time anymore." Eva whispered.

Jes felt for the Dawson children. She knew and understood what they were going through. She also knew what it was like to have someone attempt to replace a parent. She didn't want to try and replace Laura. She glanced at Antonio. He mouthed that they'd talk about it later.

"Alright." Antonio broke the pained silence. "Grab your bags, we'll go to school. Don't want you guys to be late."

Diego and Eva thanked Jes for breakfast and did as Antonio asked. He turned back to Jes. "We'll take your Journey so they record all your info at the school."

"What about you getting to work on time?"

"I'll call Voight. He's been good since the divorce news broke." He handed her her phone. "I charged it for you."

She gave him a quick pack. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did. Now I recommend calling Jay. You've got about ten missed calls from him."

He went to put dishes away. Jes called Jay. "Hey."

"Hey, you at home?"

"Uh, no. Antonio asked me to pop by and go with him to take the kids to school. He wants me added to their authorized pick-up list."

"Ah. Yeah. How 'bout we do lunch today?"

"Sure. Want me to pick you up at the district?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you at lunch."

She ended the call and grabbed her stuff. Then the four of them headed to her Journey to get to school.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Lunch with Jay had been good. He had been mortified to walk in on Jacquie and Kevin, but he said that at least someone was happy. He asked how the kids were doing. Jes explained the situation with Laura, without dropping hints that she had witnessed the incidents with Laura. Jay was pissed with Laura. He explained how she'd reacted when Antonio had been shot during Pulpo's escape. Jes had to pretend to be shocked, but she knew the whole story. Antonio had told her while they had cooked the steaks. She wished that Jay hadn't been so anal about her dating anyone but a cop. She really liked Antonio. Once she'd dropped Jay back off at the District, she headed home. She was preparing her meat sauce recipe when the doorbell rang. She rinsed her hands and went to answer it.

"Jes!" The Dawson siblings greeted her enthusiastically.

Jes looked to Antonio behind them. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"Well, they wanted help prepping for some catch up exams that they've been told have to be done by the end of the month."

"Ah, sure thing. Well come on in guys. We'll set up in the kitchen."

They took off their coats and shoes. "Smells good in here." Diego pointed out.

"I'm making meat sauce to go with baked rigatoni for supper."

"Sounds amazing." Eva gushed. She really did want to learn how to cook.

Jes smiled. "Antonio, is it okay if I show Eva my recipe and stuff before we get to the books?"

"Sure. I'll help Diego out with his science stuff."

They headed into the kitchen.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Once Jacquie had returned from searching out necessary equipment for the youth centre, the group sat down for dinner. While Antonio cleared away the leftovers and dishes, Jacquie and Jes helped catch the kids catch up. It was around 10 when the District Commander called Antonio personally. When he came back from the call, his mood had changed.

"Uh, Jes, can I ask a favour?"

"Anything." Jes sensed his worry. "What's wrong?"

"A bad case just came up. Kid got shot. All hands have been called out." Antonio grabbed his coat. "Can the kids stay here with you?"

Jes nodded. "Definitely. I'll take care of them. Go. It'll be fine."

Antonio kissed her and hugged the kids. "Do whatever Jes asks you guys. I'll call as soon as I know something."

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

When it had been decided that Atwater and Ruzek were going undercover as convicts, Voight needed someone in as a guard. Having spent a majority of his police career undercover, Antonio was selected. He packed his things. He quickly called Jeslyn. He'd have to give her the Cliff Notes version. He had to get MCC before Atwater and Ruzek. His cover needed to be more secure.

"Hey, Antonio. Everything okay?"

"Uh, not really. Baby, I have to go undercover."

"It's that bad."

"Yeah. Can't give all the details, but if we don't do this, the killer's gonna walk and that little girl will never have justice."

"Do what you've gotta do." Jes understood him. "I'll take the kids to get some changes of clothes and stuff. They're safe with me."

"I wouldn't doubt that for a second."

"Be safe, Antonio."

"Always. I'll call you when this is over."

"Okay. Get these monsters."

"We always do. Take care baby." He ended the call. He wanted to tell her how much he appreciated this. How much she meant to him. That he loved her.

He headed out to MCC. Hopefully this undercover wouldn't take too long.

* * *

 _ **A/N: There you go guys. Don't worry… steamy stuff soon to come. If anyone's following, this is right before the 3-way cross over with Fire and Law and Order SVU. Hope you enjoyed it. Lots of love!**_


	8. Crazier

_**A/N : Well, we're here… warning… long chapter, but much awaited for, I'm sure. My husband loved it, so I'm hoping you will to. Mature content ahead… I'll leave it there…. Please let me know what you think! Merry belated Christmas, and all the best in 2016!**_

* * *

Antonio was thrilled to be done with this undercover assignment. They had gotten the whole crew. He couldn't wait to get home. Then he realized that Eva and Diego were still with Jes. He ran his hand through his hair. He caught a glimpse of Kevin gathering his bag. "Hey! Atwater!"

"Detective?" Kevin asked as he closed his locker.

"After this long, you can call me Antonio." Antonio patted Kevin's shoulder. "How you feeling?"

"A little rough around the edges, but I'll live."

"You tell Jacquie yet?"

"That I just pretended to be a murder to catch a child killer?"

"Yeah."

"No. We haven't really talked my work. Or what happens if I have to go undercover."

"A piece of advice? If she asks, you tell her the truth."

"But…"

"She won't need all the gritty details, but don't you ever lie to her." Antonio thought back to his conversation with Jes.

Kevin scratched his facial scruff. "You think so?" Kevin looked around to ensure that they were alone in the locker room. "You and Jes talk about it?"

"Yeah. When we decided we were going to be in a relationship."

"So, she's okay with it?"

"Not sure if 'okay' is the right word, but at least she's understanding."

"You gonna go see her then? Like now?"

"Yeah. Jes and Jacquie have been taking care of the kids for me."

"Could you, uh, take me with you?"

"What 'bout your truck?" Antonio put on his jacket.

Kevin looked at him. "In the shop. Needs new brakes, and uh, a new back window."

"You got an explanation for the face for Jacquie?"

"Guess I'll just have to tell her the truth." Kevin gingerly touched the cuts on his face. "What if she don't like the truth?"

"Man, I dunno. But you gotta at least try." Antonio patted Kevin's back. "Let's go."

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Jacquie was helping Diego conquer some math homework while Jes was showing Eva how to make a perfect apple crisp when the doorbell rang.

"Here, finish mixing the caramel. I'll go check who's here."

"Sure thing, Jes." Eva kept stirring the pot of simmering liquid on the stove.

Jes headed to the front door. She saw Antonio's truck in the driveway. She felt giddy. She'd heard from him, but it had been a couple days since she or the kids had actually, physically seen him. She showed her breathing and unlocked the door.

"Hey, Baby." Antonio greeted her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Hey yourself, Detective." She leaned in to kiss him.

This kiss was interrupted by Atwater clearing his throat. Jes looked behind Antonio, her cheeks reddening. "Oh, uh. Hi, Kev."

"Hey, Jes." Kevin was nervous. "Uh, is Jacquie… uh is she here?"

Jes nodded. "She's helping Diego with some geometry. You okay?"

Antonio leaned in and whispered. "He's uh, a little nervous about explaining the facial."

Jes looked Kevin from head to toe. "Was he undercover too?"

"Yeah. He's not too sure how to explain it all to Jacquie. He likes her. A lot."

Jes could understand where Kevin was coming from. "Hey, Antonio, go see if Eva's finished with the apple crisp. I'll talk to Kevin."

"You left Eva alone, making apple crisp? Maybe I should call Matt to get Truck 81 down here." Antonio laughed.

Eva heard her dad's voice. "Very funny, Dad! Maybe you won't have any."

Antonio laughed all the way into the kitchen. Jes turned back to face Kevin. "Bad guys do that?" She pointed to the cuts and bruises on his face.

"Yeah. But it's over. I just dunno, how to… uh tell her."

"Antonio wasn't sure how I'd handle it. I told him, I may not need all the gory details, but I want to know the truth, especially when he's going undercover."

"Don't… won't you worry about 'im?"

"Yeah, but I'll worry less if I don't think he's lying to me."

"Think Jacquie will….ya know?" Kevin was wringing his hands together. Jes could see how anxious he was.

"Be honest. I know her. She'll take honest over sugar coated lies and fibs any day of the week."

"Thanks Jes."

"No problem. Hey, Jacquie?!"

Kevin looked at Jes in shock. Jes just shrugged.

"What?" Jacquie called back.

"Kevin's here!" Jes looked to Kevin. "Just tell her. Better to not drag it out." She left just as Jacquie made her appearance.

"Hey, Kev…. OH MY GOD!" Jacquie ran to him. "Babe, what happened to your face!?" She gently caressed his face.

"Can we talk?" Kevin took her hand and led her to the porch swing. "Uh, I'm gonna take Jes and Antonio's advice."

"On what?"

He held her hand. "My job. I had to go undercover at MCC… the maximum security prison…" He paused. "As an inmate. I got the confession I needed, but not before the son of a bitch tried to shank me and rearranged my face."

"Oh, God." Jacquie gasped. "But you're okay?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure, that… uh, if we keep going in this relationship that we could… well we'd be able to talk and I want to make sure you're okay with…. With all of this."

"You mean, am I okay with you doing what needs to be done to bring criminals to justice?"

"Yeah."

"Did Jes and Antonio tell you about their arrangement?"

Kevin nodded.

"Can we have a similar deal?"

"Sure, Jacquie. I just wanna do right by you."

"Then you tell me what you need to. Be honest. I'll still worry, but as long as I know the basics and they're the truth, I can deal with it better." Jacquie kissed him. "I know what Intelligence does for this city. Jes told me. You're the reason that we can roam the streets freely and safely."

"Deal." He pulled her into his arms. "You're the most amazing woman I've ever met."

Jacquie smiled and kissed him as if she hadn't seen him in ages.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Jes came back into the kitchen to a sight she never thought she'd see; the man of her dreams helping their kids with homework and making dinner together. A tear slid down her cheek as she forced herself to realize that this wasn't her family or her reality. Antonio looked over. Jes tried to put a smile on but Antonio could see something was up. He excused himself and pulled Jes into the study.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He pushed her bangs from her eyes. "And don't lie to me. I'm very good at hearing lies. Plus we promised we'd be honest with each other."

She sniffled. "Yeah. I know."

"Then spill. You've got me worried."

"I, … uh… this is going to sound so stupid." She wiped her cheeks.

"Babe, nothing you say is going to sound stupid."

She took a deep breath. "When I walked into the … the kitchen… uh… I saw what I've always dreamed of."

"What's that, baby?"

"A family…. With.." She stopped herself. It was still too soon, even though she knew deep down inside that she meant it. While they had knew each other for over two months, she couldn't say 'I love you'.

"With?... Baby, I'm trying to follow you."

"I saw the one thing I can't have." She fell to her knees and sobbed.

Antonio knelt next to her and pulled her tightly to his chest. "Baby, does have to do with kids? Having a family?"

She nodded.

"Babe, why… why don't you think you can't have that?"

"Because…"

"Jes, look at me." He lifted her chin. "You can have a family."

"How?"

Antonio was feeling slightly frustrated, but he could understand her pain. He took a few deep breaths before what he hadn't thought he'd say ever again. "Jeslyn, we… you and I… are in a relationship… and I love you. I love you."

Jes' eyes widened. "Wha…"

"Jeslyn, I love you. My children adore you. We, all of us, can be a family."

"Antonio."

He kissed her, almost bruising her lips. "It's true, Jes. All of it."

"Isn't… it… uh… too fast?" She was in shock. No one other than her adoptive family and her dad had ever said they loved her.

"No, not for me. But if you're…"

"I love you Antonio." She felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from her chest. "I wanted to say it a week ago, but I always figured it was too fast… too soon."

"If it feels right, then, that's all that matters."

The two kissed for what seemed like eternity until Diego's voice broke them apart. "Eww! Gross! Eva! Dad and Jes are making out in here!"

Eva joined them in the study. "At least they're wearing clothes. It's better than Mom."

Antonio's eyes bulged. "What did you just say?"

Eva's mouth clamped shut.

"Eva?"

Diego kept his eyes glued to the floor. Neither of them wanted to tell their dad about how their mother had been behaving.

"Guys?" Antonio was perplexed.

Diego broke first. "One day, after school, we came home and Mom was having sex with Andres, the guy she's gone to Colombia with."

"WHAT!"

Jes jumped in. "Hey, let's everyone just calm down. Antonio please don't tell me you're not being jealous."

That question brought Antonio back to reality. "No, hell no. Baby, I'm not jealous, just pissed off that my kids had to see…"

"Daddy, we just closed the door and went to the library." Eva finally spoke up.

"There. See." Jes stroked Antonio's cheek. "Now, do we have some explaining to do?"

"No." Eva smiled. "You guys are happy together. We're cool with that. Plus, we really like you Jes."

"Well, then." Antonio stood up, helping Jes up in the process. "We can be a family, Jes."

"So, you admitted it, huh, Dad?" Diego grinned like the Cheshire cat.

Jes looked between father and son. "Admit what, exactly?"

"That I love you."

"Ah, well he did…" Jes felt as if her chest would explode. "And I told him that I love him too."

"Yes!" Eva and Diego high-fived each other.

"I take that you guys are okay with this?" Antonio had been worried how they'd take the news.

"Yeah, Dad. We're definitely good with it." Eva replied. She was about to say more but the oven timer was going off. "Okay, apple crisp is done. Are we still gonna make supper together?"

Antonio answered before Jes could. "We'll stay and catch up. Plus, if Jes is teaching you how to cook, I'm not about to stop you guys."

Eva hugged her father tightly. "Thanks, Dad." She hugged Jes before taking off to the kitchen, Diego closely on her heels.

"That went way better than I expected." Antonio noted, taking Jes' hand and they headed to the kitchen.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

 _ **Later that night…**_

Diego and Eva were playing video games in the living room while Antonio was doing dishes. Kevin had gone home to be with his sister.

"So Jacquie… you okay with Kevin and the job?" Antonio asked.

"I told him the same thing Jes told you." Jacquie replied as she gathered the kids school stuff. "I just want him to be honest with me."

"He's a good man. He'll do right." Antonio closed the dishwasher.

"I know." Jacquie zipped up the school bags. "So, what about you two?"

"Quit being nosey." Jes took the two bags.

"I was actually going to ask you if you could keep an eye on the kids tomorrow night. I'd like to take Jes out on that date I promised her."

Jacquie and Jes exchanged glances. "Sure." Jacquie grinned. "Want me to watch them here or at your place?"

"Here's good." Antonio sat next to Jes. "I can't thank you guys enough for what you've done for them. It means the world to me."

Jacquie smiled. "I'm glad. They're great kids. I haven't seen her this happy in… well forever."

Jes was a deep crimson by this point. "Hey, it's uh getting late. Do… well… do you want to stay the night?" She wasn't sure which answer she wanted to hear, but there was no taking the question back.

"Sure. It's the weekend anyhow and I've got time off." Antonio grinned. "How comfy is the couch?"

Jes smacked his arm. "Uh uh! No way. My bed… uh… please?"

Jacquie smirked. "I'll let you two figure out the, uh sleeping arrangements. I'll get the kids ready for bed." She left, giggling.

Antonio gave Jes a peck on the cheek. "Aren't you feisty tonight?"

"Well, if we're in a relationship, and… we love each other, shouldn't we at least sleep in the same bed?" She rationalized. "It's not like we haven't done it before."

"You make perfect sense, Miss Bellamy." Antonio used his detective tone. It was turning Jes on, and Antonio could see it.

"Miss Bellamy?"

"Well, what are the kids at the centre gonna call you?" Antonio changed the subject. He didn't want to push her into physical intimacy if she wasn't ready yet.

"Well, I haven't actually really thought about it." She pulled herself into his lap. "When I was teaching, I was Miss B."

"Would you go by that?" Antonio whispered as he kissed her neck.

"I don't know, Detective Dawson."

"Oh, baby." His voice came out almost as a primal growl.

Jacquie coughed then cleared her throat. "So, uh, the kids wanna say good night..."

"Uh, yeah. Lead the way, Jes." Antonio shifted rather uncomfortably.

"Side note, keep it PG, huh?" Jacquie shook her head as she made her way to her room.

Jes giggled. "I guess, showing affection is a challenge with a roommate."

"Kids, too." Antonio pointed out.

Jes said her 'good nights' first and left Antonio to talk to his children. She sat on her bed. She was running everything through her head again, when her cell began to ring. Her caller ID showed it was Jay. "Hey!" She was happy to hear from him. "How's it going?"

"Good. How're the kids?" Jay thought of Eva and Diego as family.

"They're great considering the divorce crap."

"You know about that more than I do. Did Antonio pick 'em up already?"

"They're, uh, actually wiped. So they're all staying here tonight."

"Good plan. Uh, can… then can you keep an eye on Antonio?"

"Uh, sure. Can I ask why?" Jes was confused.

Jay cleared his throat. "This last case hit Antonio and Kevin hardest because Diego and Kevin's little sister, Vinessa are the same age as the victim."

"Oh. Oh, God!"

"Yeah, but they got 'em. Those bastards are going down."

"Thank God." Jes breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't envy your guys' jobs. Those types of cases are the reason I want to get P2K off the ground."

"I know, Jes." Jay paused. "Hey, everything okay with you?"

Jes was worried that Jay had suspicions. "Yeah, why?"

"Just, you seem different."

"I'm just happy to be home. With family. Plus, I've finally found my purpose."

"Okay, well, I should get to bed. Unlike Antonio, I'm still on call."

"Sure thing… Hey, Jay?"

"Yeah sis?"

"Be safe, please?"

"Always. Love you."

"Love you too." She ended the call. She jumped when Antonio wrapped his arms around her waist. "I am so buying you a bell collar like the one Minion wears."

"Why's that?"

"Because, I'm not a fan of the mini heart attacks you keep giving me." She pulled him onto the bed, right on top of her.

"Baby…"

"Kiss me." She breathed.

He wasn't about to refuse her that. It felt so natural to be with her. "I don't want… not until you're ready."

Jes blushed. "I'm more worried about being interrupted. The kids, Jacquie… would be awkward."

"True." He kissed the tip of her nose. "So, you know the dress you wore to your birthday?"

"Yeah…"

"I'd like you to wear it tomorrow night."

"So it's a fancy date?"

"Classy." He kissed her neck.

"Okay. So no hint of where you're taking me?"

"Nope. Surprise, remember?"

"Okay… uh, Antonio…"

"What is it, Baby?"

"If, um… would…"

"Babe, what's going through your mind?"

"If I wanted to take the next step… you know, have sex…"

"Sweetheart, sex is for two people who don't care for anything but the physical aspect of it. We're not in it just for sex. I'll… I'll teach you how to make love." He felt odd saying it. It was almost like he was in one of the telenovelas his mom and sister watched.

"I'd like that." She stroked his jawline.

"We should get some sleep."

She nodded. She got off the bed. She was a little nervous. While they weren't getting physical tonight, no guy had seen her fully unclothed before. She slid her leggings off and began to unbutton her top. She could see Antonio's attention solely focused on her. Antonio wasn't sure what to do or say. He just sat and watched her slowly undress. He could feel blood rushing south. He calmed his breathing in hopes that it would slow his racing heart. She slipped the blouse off and it fluttered to the ground. Antonio got off the bed and slowly made his way to her.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. He could feel her nipples pushing against the fabric of her bra. He slowly undid the back clasp of her bra.

Jes whimpered as his hands brushed against her skin. She gasped as the bra came undone. Antonio slid the straps down her arms, sending goosebumps up her spine. Suddenly, she stopped the bra from coming off completely.

Antonio froze. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. No, Antonio. I just… I just realized that I never told you about the scars."

"Anyone who's ever had surgery has scars, love."

"These are from surgery. They were caused by him… that night."

"Baby, you're beautiful. All that son of a bitch did was make you a stronger person." He thought about it. "Here, let me show you something. He pulled off his t-shirt.

The first thing Jes noticed was how fit and toned he was. Then she saw his tattoos. He took her hand. Then she saw them. Scars, some older than other. "Oh, my God!"

He used her fingers to trace the three older scars. "I took these three trying to bring down a drug and prostitution ring. Gaby is the reason I'm still alive. She saw it happen. I took two the gut and one to the chest." She traced them tenderly. "They're the reason I moved from Vice to Intelligence." He pointed to the ones on his right shoulder and chest. "Pulpo gave me these when he escaped about 6 months back. Uh, they're the reason Laura ultimately left."

"I can't believe it." She leaned in and kissed the one closest to his collarbone. "I… I never noticed them before."

"Baby, it's okay. Scars don't tell us where we're going. They teach us the past. They make us that much stronger."

"I know. I've just… never shown anyone."

He lifted her chin. "You'll always be beautiful to me."

She nodded and let the bra fall to the ground. The scars were distinctive against the tan of her skin. The jagged white lines marred their perfection, but they didn't make anything away from her radiance. Antonio gently ran a thumb over the darker line. He got an instant response from Jes, the instant their skin touched. He watched as Jes shivered. Her dark rose coloured nipples were taut with arousal.

"Don't, baby. I still love you. These just show me how strong you are. You're beautiful. These don't take anything away from who are really are."

"I can see…" She cleared her throat. Her glance was directed lower than his belt.

It was Antonio's turn to be embarrassed. "Damn it. Baby, I'm sorry."

A small smile crept across Jes' face. "Don't be." She knelt in front of Antonio. Before he knew it; his belt, jeans and boxer briefs were on the ground.

"Jes, we don't…"

"Shh… I want to… take care of you…" Her nimble hands gently stroked his erection. He reacted instantly. His skin was darker than what she was used to. He was hard as a rock and thick.

He had to bite his lip to prevent him from waking up the whole house. He'd never been one to have a woman on her knees like this. He looked at her. "Baby…" He moaned.

Jes took that as a sign. She leaned in and gently licked his shaft. He almost lost it. She slowly took him in her mouth. Her mouth was like heaven. Antonio had to fight like hell not to finish right then and there. Jes hadn't done this in years, but she still knew what to do and how to pleasure a man. She slowly enveloped all of Antonio with her mouth, her tongue tracing around the head. She enjoyed hearing Antonio's reactions. She gently stroked the orbs that had pulled tighter to him. A guttural sound came from him. She began working him in and out of her mouth. Antonio was at the point of seeing fireworks. She had no gag reflex, which allowed her to almost swallow him. She knew he was close. She slowly pulled back until only the tip was left in her mouth. She alternated between licking and sucking it.

"Babe…"

"I know." She whispered. Those vibrations sent him over the edge. She pulled away and slowly stroked him. He let go. It had been so long. He came all over her chest.

Antonio moaned and had to lean back to maintain his balance. "Damn, Jes… holy…"

She smiled and slowly got up. "I'll go clean up. You may want to sit."

He took her advice. When she came back, he asked. "I've gotta ask. Where the fuck did you learn that? I'm pretty sure there's no manual or class for it."

She grinned. "Practice makes perfect."

His jaw dropped. "You little minx!" He had finally managed to slow his breathing. He really did have to plan for tomorrow night.

"I told you about my past… I never had sex…. Just did… well…"

"Baby, we don't have to talk about that."

"Can we talk about us then?" She hopped onto the bed next to him.

"Of course. I'd much prefer that topic."

"Where are we going tomorrow night?"

"You don't give up do you? I am keeping that a surprise, but I can tell you we're getting a whole section to ourselves. Also I recommend bringing shoes you can dance in."

"Fair enough." She snuggled next to him and he wrapped his arm around her. "What time?"

"I'll drop the kids off back here and pick you up around, let's say 7?"

"Why don't you just leave them here? Saves on the transport."

He smiled. "I need their help."

"Ah, okay. Well that gives me time to get pretty."

He stroked her arm. "You're beautiful, but I won't stand in the way of primping. Then after I'd like to take you back to my place, and we can be alone… with zero interruptions."

"Will… will we make love?" Her voice dropped as she spoke.

"Only if you're wanting to. I'm willing to wait until you're ready."

She sighed sleepily. "We should get some sleep shouldn't we?"

He nodded. "You planning on sleeping like this?" He motioned to her bare nakedness with the exception of her lace panties.

"Mhmm. I only sleep in PJs when I'm at other people's houses.

"Interesting." He got up and pulled down the sheet and comforter. Then he picked her up, lay her on the bed before joining her. "Now, sleep. Or else we'll both be too tired to enjoy tomorrow."

Jes sighed contently and lay her head on his chest. Soon, they were both asleep, with only dreams of their future together dancing in their thoughts.

* * *

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* * *

Jay was curious as to what was really going on with his sister. Erin had hinted that maybe she was seeing someone, and he wouldn't approve of who it was. _'She wouldn't do that.'_ He thought. _'She'd tell me if she was seeing someone.'_ He took a swig of his beer. Jes was probably just stressed about getting P2K started. He finished his beer while finishing the game. He looked at the clock. "Damn it!" It was 2am. He was still on call in case something jumped up, and he had to be at the precinct in the morning around 9 anyhow. He wanted to see Jes before he went in. If she was seeing someone, maybe he'd catch them in the act. He headed to his empty bed and wished that some rules didn't exist.

 _ **A/N: I wrote a much longer chapter… so I'm dividing them in two. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Coming soon! Lots of love!**_


	9. Love Me Like You Do

_**A/N : Well, here we go again. This is the chapter I'm sure all of you have been waiting for! Definitely 'M' for mature. I also don't own the lyrics/songs used in this chapter. Read and enjoy. Let me know what you think! All the best in 2016! Nicole**_

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The next morning, Jay surprised everyone. Luckily for Jes and Antonio, they were already up, showered and dressed when he arrived.

"Hey!" Jay greeted them. "Happy to be getting back to normal?"

Antonio nodded. "Damn straight. I don't want another undercover gig for a while. Your sister has been saving grace."

Jes' cheeks reddened. "It's really no problem."

"Saved me having to worry about my house blowing up or being levelled."

Jay laughed. "Well, I'd have to say it's a valid point. So, sis, how're things lining up with P2K?"

"Everything's ordered. Once it's all delivered, we'll set it up and begin training staff. Most of the staff will be volunteer but still. Then we can hopefully have our Grand Opening."

"I'm so proud of you, sis!" Jay ruffled her hair.

She batter at his hands. "Hey! I just styled it!"

"What? Got a hot date or something?" He wondered if this question would set her off.

Antonio quickly swallowed his coffee while Jes glared at her brother. "If I did?"

Jay put his hands up. "Woah, sheesh. Touch a nerve?" Maybe Erin was onto something.

"So what if I had a date?" Jes crossed her arms.

"Just be careful… and make sure he's good to you." Jay buttered a bagel. "Want me to run a background check on the guy?"

"You wanna run a background check on me?" Jacquie asked.

Jay turned to the back door. "Uh, I thought you were seeing Kevin? Plus, I didn't think you went that way?"

"Haha!" Jacquie snorted. She washed her hands. "It's a girls' night. We're going to a wine and painting thing. Jes is into the painting and I'll drink the wine. It's our catch-up time." She punched Jay's arm. "You got a problem with that?"

Jay put his hands up in defense. "Nope. I'm all good. Sorry for, uh, jumping to conclusions. So you and Atwater?"

"Jay!" Jes hissed. "Who anyone dates isn't any of your business. Or would you like me to ask about you and Erin?"

"There's nothing there, sis!"

"Ha!" Antonio laughed. "Bullshit!"

Jay glared at him. "We can't do anything, so… we're … we're not…."

"Jay, piece of advice…" Jes smiled slyly. "You don't get to butt your nose into any of our business if you're out there sampling the forbidden fruit."

That shut Jay up. It was good timing because Eva and Diego were just walking into the kitchen. "Hey Uncle Jay!" They greeted him.

"Hey guys! How you been? My little sister treating you guys alright?"

"She taught how to cook some." Eva grinned, grabbing a glass for some orange juice.

"She and Jacquie helped me out on my history timeline project." Diego's mouth was stuffed with toast.

"Swallow, then speak, huh? Son?" Antonio shook his head. "Use your manners. Didn't I teach you anything?"

Diego swallowed. "Sorry, Dad."

"You guys ready to go home?"

"Yeah. It'll be fun. Uh, Dad have you heard from Mom?" The hesitation was obvious in Eva's voice.

Antonio shook his head.

"Where is Laura anyway?" Jay questioned.

"She never told me." Antonio ran his hand through his hair. "She bolted before I could ask."

"Uh, Dad?" Diego slowly raised his hand. "I know where she is."

"How?"

"I snooped. I don't like the guy. He's bad news." Diego put his dishes in the sink.

Eva sighed. "I did the same thing. He's an asshat, Dad."

"I'm not even gonna go there." Antonio didn't want details but he needed to know for the kids' sake. "Where is she?"

"Colombia. They're in Medellin." Diego's voice shook as he delivered the news.

"Oh fuck." Jay said under his breath.

Antonio was livid, but he wasn't about to lose it Dominican-style in front of everyone. He put his coffee down and stormed out the back door. Jes went to follow him, but Jay stopped her. "I'll go. I've dealt with him when he gets like this before." He took off after Antonio.

Diego turned to face Jes and Jacquie. "Was I wrong to tell him?"

Jes hugged him. "No, sweetie. I think he's mad at your mom for going there."

"I think it's because Mom's not acting like a mom anymore." Eva added. "Ever since she met that moron, she's been more focused on him than on us. It's like she's purposely trying to mess with Dad's head and hurt him.."

"Well, how 'bout we give your dad some space?" Jacquie whispered.

Eva turned to Jes. "Are you and Dad still gonna go out tonight?"

"I'm hoping so." Jes replied. "But still nothing to Jay. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say."

"Hey, we all got your back." Diego hugged Jes. "But, I'm sure Uncle Jay will be okay with you and Dad, you know…"

Jacquie cleared her throat. Jes turned to see Jay and Antonio coming back towards the house. The conversation quickly switched to Eva's English assignment. They were enjoying the seemingly mundane conversation when Jay's District cell began to ring. He excused himself to take the call.

Eva jumped at the chance. "Dad, you're still going out tonight, right?"

He looked to Jes, who smiled and nodded. "Yep. But you guys will have to make sure Uncle Jay doesn't…" He stopped as he heard Jay make his way back to the kitchen.

"I gotta bounce. Firehouse 51 just caught a bad one. Voight's calling me in." He saw Antonio was ready to jump in to help. "He said me. Stay. Spend time with the kids. They need you."

"Thanks. Let me know if you guys need me." They shook hands and Jay turned to Jes. "When I'm actually on my days off, you and me… we need to have a day to ourselves. Catch up. Like really catch up."

"Definitely." She kissed his cheek. "Be safe. I love you, Jay."

"Bye guys." Jay hugged Diego and Eva. "Behave yourselves." And he was gone.

Jes wondered if Jay suspected anything. Jacquie breathed a sigh of relief. Jes looked at her.

"You guys need a code or something. That or tell Jay you're head over heels for each other."

"Oh hell no!" Antonio exclaimed. "Not yet. I'm not letting him try to come between us. We're just starting in a relationship."

"I'm with him." Jes took his hand. "Let's see what happens tonight, then we'll go from there."

"Well, if that's the case," Antonio kissed Jes lightly. "We should get going so we can be on time tonight."

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* * *

Jacquie helped Jes get ready by doing her hair and painting her toenails. They chatted. Then Jes dropped the bomb on Jacquie of what she had done the night before.

"You did what?!" She dropped the nail polish on the floor. Luckily the lid was on. It rolled under the dresser.

"You heard me."

"And?"

"He didn't complain. He asked me where I learned how to do it. I just… you know…"

"Wow! Just… wow! Didn't think you'd do that."

Jes glared at her. "Seriously? Look, I want more. We both admitted our feelings for each other."

"And just exactly what feelings are those?"

"He told me he loved me… and I told him I love him too."

Jacquie froze. "You sure it's not just hormones?" She got her answer when Jes flung a pillow at her head. "Okay, okay. Well, what's the plan for tonight? You gonna finally, you know?"

"I don't know. I want to. With Antonio, he's gentle and caring. He doesn't want to do anything I'm not ready for."

"Then make sure he knows. Guys aren't really good at reading subtleties."

"So what, just say 'Fuck me'?"

"Oh lordy. No. Be seductive."

"I'll try." Jes looked at the clock. "He'll be here soon. Help me finish getting ready. Hopefully, Jay won't be popping in tonight. I don't know how to tell him yet. Not even sure I want him knowing."

"Hey, it'll all work out."

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"So where are you taking her?" Eva asked from Antonio's closet.

"Ciao Amore." Antonio replied as he applied after-shave.

"Very nice." She showed him two dress shirts. "Purple or grey?"

"Purple." He looked to Diego. "Help me find my nice shoes?"

Diego handed him the aforementioned shoes. "Shined 'em for you."

"Thanks, son." He put on the shirt. "So you guys are really cool with this. With me and Jes?"

Eva and Diego sat on the bed. "Look, Daddy," Eva decided to lay it all out for Antonio. "It sucks that you and Mom are getting divorced. We know how much you loved her, but we also know it's not your fault. Mom's… gone off her rocker. You said that the three of us are a knot that can never come undone. You're right."

"Hey, Dad?" Diego had been wondering this since the divorce had come to light.

Antonio looked up from his tie. "What is it, Diego?"

"Can we choose who we live with? I don't want to stay with mom and Andres all the time."

"Andres? That's your mom's 'friend'?"

Eva nodded. "Yeah."

"I'd want nothing more than to have you guys live with me full time, but my job… A judge might not allow that."

"Even if we say we want to be with you?" Diego couldn't hide his disappointment.

"What if, you know, Jes helped. She's gonna be running a youth centre… we could …"

"Woah. Both of you. Hold your horses. Jes and I are just starting out. Let's take this all one day at a time. Just know… that both of you are my life and Jes is a part of our lives now. I won't let your mom take you away. I promise." He finished doing up his cufflinks. "What do you think?"

Diego whistled while Eva grinned. "Wow! Dad, she'll never know what hit her."

"Okay, well… Thank you. Now get your stuff together."

"We sleeping there again tonight?" Diego asked as he got off the bed.

"Would that be a problem?"

"No. Just wanted to know. A long date is a good sign, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Should be." Antonio mussed up Diego's hair. "Now, to the truck. Don't wanna be late for my very important date." Antonio did his best impression of the White Rabbit from 'Alice in Wonderland'.

The kids broke into a fit of laughter as the three piled into Antonio's truck.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio arrived at Jes' at a quarter to seven. He had stopped and gotten a bouquet of brightly coloured wild flowers for Jes. The kids let him go to the door first. He took a deep breath and rang the bell. Jacquie greeted him.

"She'll be right down." She saw the kids. "Come on in guys. You can pick what movie we're going to go see tonight."

"Sweet!" They ran past their father. "Have fun, Dad!"

Everyone stopped in their tracks as Jes descended the stairs.

"Jes, you look amazing!" Eva gushed.

Diego's jaw dropped and even Antonio was speechless. He was able to walk over to her and kissed her. "Wow, Jes. You look beautiful."

"You clean up pretty good yourself, Detective."

He pulled the bouquet from behind his back. "For you."

"Awe, Antonio! They're gorgeous." She took a deep whiff. "They smell amazing. Thank you!"

"I'll put hem in some water." Jacquie took the bouquet. "Wouldn't want you to be late."

Jes laughed. "No, we wouldn't want that. So where are we headed, Detective?"

"Still a surprise." He extended his arm. "Milady."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio turned on the radio. He was flipping through the stations when she stopped him. "Hey! I love this song."

Antonio sighed. "Sure thing." He absorbed Luke Bryan's 'Drunk on You'. The lyrics hit home.

"What's on your mind, Detective?" Jes asked as the song ended.

"It was an interesting song. I'm… uh… not a huge Country fan, but songs like that, I could learn to like it more."

"I don't only listen to Country, but Luke Bryan… yeah… he's kinda like Kryptonite."

"Fair enough. Well, we're here." He put the truck in 'park' and killed the engine. "Hope you like Italian."

Jes looked out the window. "Ciao Amore?! I've always wanted to come here, but getting a table s next to impossible."

"Good thing I know the owners." He helped her out of the truck.

They entered the restaurant hand in hand.

"Detective Antonio!" An older Italian woman greeted him.

"Mama Francesca!" He hugged the woman. "This is Jeslyn."

"Hi." Jes greeted her timidly.

Mama Francesca hugged Jes and kissed each cheek. "Welcome! Welcome!" She looked Jes over. "Lei è bella!" She turned to the kitchen. "Alonzo!"

"Si?" A white haired man poked his head out. "Detective Antonio! Right on time! Come! Come! I made nice the back just like you ask."

Alonzo escorted Jes and Antonio to a quiet room just off the kitchen. Jes was taken back. The room had a single table for two with candles burning.

"It's beautiful!" Jes exclaimed.

"Grazie." Antonio shook Alonzo's hand.

The old man just nodded and went back to the kitchen.

"Antonio, you didn't have to do this all for me."

"Yes. I did. I can't get to know you if we're surrounded by other people."

She blushed and looked down at her feet.

"Hey, none of that." He lifted her chin. "You're beautiful and I love you."

This just made her cheeks burn. "And I love you."

Antonio pulled out her chair. "Come on. Let's sit. We literally have all night."

Jes took her seat. "Thank you. I feel spoiled."

"You should. We get a special meal and dancing." He took her hand as he sat across from her. "I want to get to know you… with no interruptions."

"I'd like to get to know more about you, too, even though Gaby's told me a lot of the things you did to get in trouble."

"Aye yi yi." He shook his head. "She was no angel either."

"It's all good. Part of me wishes I had a little brother or sister growing up."

"So you were an only child?"

"Yeah. I was my dad's little princess."

"So you said, when we first met, that you grew up in the country?"

"Uh, yeah. My grandparents had a family farm. Grew up there. Mom, well, she wasn't a country girl. When the economy tanked, Dad rejoined the Army. He had served right out of high school. He went back to have a stable income for us. Then we had to move to Ottawa. The rest, well, you've already heard the rest."

"What happened to the farm?"

"It's still under my name. I rent out the land and have someone to maintain the house. I'm planning on going back later this year for a visit." She paused. "Maybe you'd like to join me. Winters in the prairies are breathtaking."

"Sounds like a plan."

Alonzo reappeared bearing fresh rolls and a couple bottles of wine.

"Thank you." Jes beamed as Alonzo filled her glass.

"She good one. You keep her." Alonzo patted Antonio on the shoulder.

"Oh, I know." Antonio grinned. "I know."

"The meal is almost ready." Alonzo smiled and left for the kitchen again.

"So, what about you?" Jes sipped her wine. "Tell me about you."

"Ah, well, Gaby already told you I was a troublemaker when I was a kid."

"She did. Is she your only sibling?"

"No, I'm the oldest of three. I have a younger brother, Javier. Then it's Gaby."

"Did the three of you get in a lot of trouble."

"Oh yes." Antonio laughed. "Well, Javier and me, Gaby would rat us out. Then, well, we'd bug her. Javier and I were in Youth Boxing League when we were kids. Kept us off the streets and on the straight and narrow. Javier lives out in New York now with his wife and their three kids. My parents live here, but spend a part of the year in New York with Javi and the other part in the Dominican."

"You go often?"

"To the Dominican, or New York?"

"Either."

"Nah, I wish I could but the cost and shit with the custody right now. It'll be a while."

"Do you miss the Dominican?"

"Sun, sand and no snow? Hell yes, but I sure as hell don't miss the instability of the political situation down there. I worry whenever they're down there."

"So it's not just palm trees and white sandy beaches?"

"For tourists, sure, but for the locals… no. One day, I'll take you. You can see both sides."

She squeezed his hand. "Sounds like a plan."

They laughed and learned quite a bit about each other. They enjoyed delicious fresh made pasta, salad and rolls. While waiting for dessert, Antonio went to the corner of the room and connected his phone to the small speaker system. He clicked 'play'. Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' came over the speakers. Antonio gently pulled her chair out. "Dance with me?" She smiled and took his hand. He guided her to the middle of the floor. He took her hand and placed it on his shoulder. He then put his hand on her waist and pulled her close. They swayed to the rhythm and moved around the room.

Antonio joined in on the chorus. "And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways. Maybe just the touch of a hand, well, me – I fall in love with you every single day and I just wanna tell you I am…"

Jes joined along. Together they harmonized. "So, honey, now take me into your loving arms. Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars; place your head on my beating heart. I'm thinking out loud, maybe we found love right where we are."

They laughed and sang. They didn't have a care in the world. The song faded out. Antonio left the music play but he walked Jes back to the table. "That was fun."

Jes was glowing. "It was. You sing, dance, box and save lives, you're something, Detective."

"You cook, bake, teach and are gonna run a youth centre. You are an angel."

Jes' cheeks burned. "This is the best night, Antonio. You… you're different… in the most amazing way."

Antonio was about to reply when Alonzo appeared with tiramisu and espresso.

"Thank you." Antonio handed Alonzo an envelope. "For everything."

Alonzo looked in the envelope. "Detective Antonio, this too much. You saved our restaurant. This, this is gift for you." He waved around the room.

"Consider that a gift." Antonio pointed to the envelope. "Take Francesca on a trip."

"But..."

"No. Take it." Antonio closed the older man's hand around the envelope.

Alonzo nodded. "Grazie. Grazie. Many blessings to you both." He left, grinning like a child on Christmas morning.

"What did he mean you saved this place?" Jes leaned in and whispered.

"5 or so back, when I was still in Vice, I helped take down the gang that was trying to shake them down for protection money or they'd fin this place burned to the ground." Antonio finished his wine. "I came in, undercover and well, we got 'em."

"Very well done, they seem to adore you."

"I think they've adopted me." Antonio laughed. "Everything I do as a cop, seem people like them happy and living life… makes it all worth while."

"You're a hero, Antonio Dawson." She got up and sat on his lap.

"Jeslyn Bellamy, are you trying to butter me up?" He arched his eyebrows.

She leaned in and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Maybe."

"Miss Bellamy, do I need to place you under arrest?"

She batted her eyes. "Take me home, Antonio. Please."

"Your wish is my command." He kept his arms around her as he got up, lifting her.

"Eeee!" She squealed. "You can put me down."

"Uh uh." He carried her to where his phone was. "Grab that please."

Jes giggled as she did what she was asked. Soon, they were on their way out the door, thanking Alonzo and Francesca as they passed the kitchen. Antonio didn't put Jes down until they reached his truck. He opened her door. Jes quickly hopped in. He kissed quickly before closing her door and getting in behind the wheel.

* * *

 _ **TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR**_

* * *

Antonio pulled the truck into his driveway and killed the engine. Jes quickly undid her seatbelt and kissed Antonio. She could feel the passion surging through her blood. Antonio felt that same passion. There was no denying the connection they shared.

"We should go inside." Jes moaned.

"Mhmm…" Antonio knew tonight would be special for both of them. "Hold still for one second."

He got out of the truck and opened her door. She slid out and threw herself into his arms. He spun her around, kissing her. He gently placed her on the ground. "Come with me." He took her hand and led her to the front door. "Are you sure about this?"

"More sure than I have been of anything ever." She was aching for him. He could hear the need in her voice. He quickly unlocked the door and entered the alarm code. He'd barely gotten the alarm deactivated the alarm when Jes came through the door. She spun him, closing the door and pinning him to the door. He was taken by surprise but he admired her for being this forwards. She was nipping and sucking on his bottom lip.

"Baby, slow down." He was struggling. He wanted to rip that dress off but he knew this was special for her. He didn't want to rush the whole process. "I want this to be perfect… for you."

"Um, yeah. Sorry. Feeling all of this… it's so intense."

"Oh, baby… trust me. I know… what I feel for you, I've been fighting these urges so hard… I don't want this to be anything but special for you. I care too much about you."

Jes' cheeks were on fire.

"Hey, baby. What's wrong?"

"Well, because… what happened before doesn't count, well, I'm technically…" Her voice became barely audible. "A virgin."

Antonio pulled her in close. He kissed her passionately. "Then we'll do this the right way." He lifted her into his arms, and he carried her into the bedroom. He kicked the bedroom door closed behind him. He carefully laid her on the bed. He slowly took her shoes off and tossed them aside. "Sit up, let me get this dress off." It didn't take long, but he took his time to seductively remove the dress while planting kisses along her neck and collarbone. He slid the dress to her waist and pushed her onto the bed, kissing her the entire way down. She smelled of heaven. He could swear it was Channel no. 5.

"Antonio…" She breathed.

"Yeah, babe?" He nibbled her earlobe, drawing a gasp of pleasure from her.

"I think… you're a little …uh…overdressed for the occasion."

"Am I now?"

She sat up. "Let me help you." She pushed his sports jacket off and tossed it to the side. She slowly undid his tie and shirt buttons. She kissed each inch of skin that became exposed. This caused Antonio's blood to rush and he could feel the fire building in him. Her skin on his was electric. He couldn't help but moan as Jes pushed his shirt off and tossed it to the floor. He looked at her, taking in the radiant being in front of him, wearing nothing but her purple lace matched underwear. She made quick work of his pants and underwear.

He reached around her and quickly undid her bra. He let it fall to the floor. He pulled her to him and lifted her. "Wrap your legs around me." Once she did, he kissed her as he got to the bed. He turned and lay on the bed, pulling Jes with him. He could feel her skin was warm, her nipples were taut. "God, you are perfect."

She could feel him beneath her. She reached to stroke him but her stopped her. "But…"

"Tonight, I want to make love to you. It's all about you, my love." He pushed her off him and onto the bed. He kissed her nose, lips and made his way down her neck. Using his thumb, he stroked her nipple while he sucked and nipped at the other. Jes moaned and arched into him. She was in ecstasy. He laid a trail of kisses right to where her panties lay on her hips. He hooked his finger in the waistband and slid them off. He stroked between her thighs. Her skin was smooth. He knelt off the side of the bed and spread the legs. She kept herself clean-shaven. He kissed her inner thigh and made his way to the mound that was her pleasure centre. She was tanned everywhere, her feminine centre was dark rose like her nipples. He kissed her there and slowly spread her folds. He licked and sucked, careful not to solely direct his attention to her clit. She was wet with desire already. He slowly slid one finger into her. She gasped.

"Oh. Oh God." Her body was arched as he slowly moved his finger in and out of her. Then he added a second. She bit her lip. She had never felt pleasure like this.

Antonio used his thumb to massage her clit while he alternated sucking her breasts. He could feel her right on the edge. She was tightening around his fingers. He kissed along her jawline. "Cum for me baby."

Jes couldn't hold back. "Ah!" She cried out as a wave of pleasure overcame her. It came over her again. Antonio watched her. He felt alive again. Her breathing was shaky. She had goosebumps. "Antonio."

"I'm here, love." He kissed her. "I'm here. How you feeling?"

"That…was…" She was breathless. "Amazing."

He nibbled on her earlobe. "That was for last night."

"I don't think I can complain if that's revenge."

"You think you're …"

She took his face in her hands. "Make love to me… Please Antonio."

He just nodded and repositioned her on the bed, kissing her. "Just let me know if you want me to stop."

"I will. I know. I trust you." She reached down and stroked him. She could feel that he was hard. He was almost pulsating. As she stroked him, Antonio moaned. He positioned himself over her and gently slid into her. She was tight and he was doing his best to hold on. He went extremely carefully, not wanting to hurt her. He was almost all in when Jes pushed her hips up. She was like a glove around him.

"Damn, Jes." He moaned. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. She knew he was big, she'd seen that when she'd gone down on him, but feeling his girth fill her was intense. She slowly pulled her hips back and Antonio pushed his hips back to meet hers. The tempo was slow at first, but together they changed the pace. Her breathing changed and Antonio knew she was close as she clamped down around him. He was right there with her. He kissed her, almost crushing her lips.

"Antonio!" She cried out, arching high off the bed.

He couldn't hold back. "Jeslyn…oh…" He froze as his orgasm rocked him. He collapsed on top of her, bracing himself with his elbows, careful not to crush her.

Her breath was quaking; a thin sheen of sweat coated both of their bodies. He rolled off her and pulled her to him so her head was resting on his racing heart.

"Wow." She whispered.

"You okay, babe?"

"Yeah… I… I… I never thought it could be like that." She was trying to catch her breath.

"If you're with someone who loves you, it'll be that way. This is a way of expressing love for someone."

She looked up and kissed his chin. "I love you Antonio. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For showing e… that love… is possible… outside of the movies and… and the novels."

"Jes, real love exists, you've just…" He stroked her cheek. "Find the right one. Hey, you're shivering."

"It's a little cold."

He pulled the blankets over them and held her close. "There. You should be warming up."

"Mhm." She was wiped. "Is it normal to be… uh… tired?"

"Of course. Sleep, baby. I ain't going anywhere." He watched her drift off to sleep. Seeing her, sleeping peacefully made him wonder what life they could have together. He rubbed her arm and back. This was home again. He couldn't be happier than this. Life was perfect.

* * *

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* * *

It was around 2 am when his landline started ringing. Jes stirred slightly. Antonio groaned. "Who the fuck?" He reached for the phone on the nightstand. "Hello?"

"Dawson."

"Antonio? It's Olinsky."

"Al, I'm off. What the hell is so important?"

"Remember that pedo that was at Med… the one that started this whole mess with New York?"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"He was just shot and killed, along with the cop that was guarding him. He was one of ours."

"Fuck!" This jolted Jes from her restful slumber.

"Antonio? What's wrong?" She asked, unaware that he was on the phone.

"Dawson, is that who I think it is?" Al questioned.

"None of your damned business. I'll pick up from the District. I'm on my way." He hung up the call. "Jes, baby. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Who was it? Everything okay?"

He shook his head. "No. A police officer was just shot at Chicago Med. He was watching over someone that was key to the case Jay was working. He and the officer were killed. They need me."

"Oh, Antonio! Oh, I'm so sorry."

"They need me."

"I know. I'll get dressed. Go on. They need you."

"Do you know how amazing you are? You are so perfect for me." He kissed her before getting out of bed to get ready.

"I love you, Antonio. This is the job. I knew that signing on. Should I call a cab?"

"No. I'll drop you off. It's on the way there." He did up his belt and slid on his badge and holster. "I want to make sure you get home safely."

"Mhm. I guess I'll keep an eye on the kids, 'til this is over."

"You read my mind." He pulled on his shirt and tossed her her shoes.

"Let's go." She said pulling on her shoes.

"You get ready faster than most officers on duty."

"When you're running late as a teacher, you've got to move."

"Good to know."

He hit the lights and sirens on his car, knowing he'd need that to get to where he was going. He killed the siren before entering Jes' neighbourhood. "I'll call you as soon as I hear something." He kissed her as he pulled up to her house. "I love you. Thank you for understanding."

"I know. I love you. Be safe out there. We'll have to do that again sometime."

"Soon." He promised.

She waved as she ran to the house. She may have some explaining to do in the morning, but she felt like a new woman now.

Antonio waited for her to unlock the door. Once she was in, he was gone. He hit the sirens when he was a good distance away. He ran every light possible to get to the district. Adam, Al and Kevin were all waiting for him. He pulled up and got them to hop in. Adam and Al were staring at him. Kevin was just shaking his head.

"They know man." Kevin sighed.

"Fuck." Antonio turned to face his teammates. "Not now. We have a fallen officer. You can grill me about my love life after we solve this."

"Well, uh, you might want to figure it out… Jay and Voight are on the flight home from New York with some of SVU." Ruzek mentioned.

"Fuck, really, guys?" Antonio banged the wheel. "We don't need this."

"I've still got your back." Kevin said.

"I'll have your back, if I get some details." Adam grinned.

"I'll just not talk to Jay about it." Al whispered.

"Look, Jes and I, we're dating… I don't need Jay knowing. She's happy. I love her, and I'm not about to let anything come between us."

"Cool." Adam patted him on the back. "We'll keep it between us. Just make sure Erin doesn't find out."

"Works for me. Now let's get this son of a bitch." Antonio pulled into Chicago Med's parking and killed the engine. They stormed out of the truck and into the hospital. The scene in front of them was chaos. They knew then and there that it was going to be a long night and a difficult case.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: There we go. Hope you enjoyed it! All the best and lots of love! Let me know what you think!**_


	10. All or Nothing

_**A/N : Welcome back! Hope you all have enjoyed this story so far. I look forward to seeing what you think of this chapter. Picks up after the 3-way crossover between Fire, SVU and PD. Please read and review! Lots of love! Nicole**_

* * *

Antonio, as well as the rest of Intelligence, was shaken to the core. To know that the person in charge of foster care in Chicago was a pedophile and was the head of a very poisonous snake made them all sick. Erin had gone to help settle the two victims they'd rescued into their new foster home. Al had gone home to be with his daughter while Burgess, Roman and Ruzek had headed to Molly's. Antonio and Kevin looked to each other. Vinessa, Kevin's 10-year old sister, and Diego and Eva were the same age as most of the victims in this case. They had seen what had happened to Erin's brother, Teddy. The nightmares he had endured, they prayed that no one would ever have to endure them again. They wanted to be home with their families. Voight stood and watched his team leave one-by-one. Jay was still at his desk. Voight knew there was something going on between him and Erin, but he'd deal with that when the time came.

"Jay." Voight got his attention. "Go home."

"When I'm done my report, Sarge."

"Paper ain't going anywhere. Go. That's an order."

Jay sighed. "You're right. Uh, thanks Sarge. Night." Jay grabbed his keys and coat, then turned off the light on his desk. He needed to clear his head. Before he knew it, he was in Ravenswood. He pulled up behind Antonio in Jes' driveway.

"Hey, Jay." Antonio greeted him as he got out of his car.

"Antonio? What the fuck are you doing here, man?"

"Uh, getting my kids… Your sister is… has been a great help. She's making sure they're keeping their nose clean when I'm working."

"How long are you going to keep doing this?"

"Doing what?" Antonio was unsure of where this was going. He knew that there was no way that Jay could know about him and Jes.

"Using her… to constantly babysit your kids. When the fuck is Laura coming back?!" Jay's voice was escalating.

Antonio marched right up to him. "Just what the fuck are you accusing me of?"

"Didn't you just hear me?!"

The argument was drawing attention from the neighbours. Jes heard the commotion and ran out onto the lawn. "Hey! You two! Cut it out."

Both men's heads whipped around to face her, jaws clamped closed.

"Get your asses in here so you stop making fools of yourselves." Her hands were on her hips and she looked pissed.

Jay glared at Antonio but walked into the house. Jes looked to Antonio. He shrugged and mouthed 'I have no idea.' He followed her into the house. Jay and Antonio stood at opposite ends of the room.

"Can someone please, please tell me what in the hell that was?!"

"He started." Antonio held his hands up.

Jes turned to Jay. "Well?"

Jay knew she was using her teacher voice so he knew he'd have to say something. He was fuming but he wasn't even sure what he was fuming over anymore. "He's always here… the kids… the… I don't know." He collapsed on the couch.

Jes knelt in front of him. "Jay, you're not making any sense."

Jay looked into his sister's eyes and saw her worry. "I just don't want you being used…"

"Stop. Right there, Jay. Antonio isn't using me. I volunteered. Their mom reminds me of my own. They need stability and since Laura's still in Columbia, I'm volunteering. Divorce is bad enough, no reason to torture the kids."

"I… I'm sorry, Jes. Antonio, man… I don't know what got into me." Jay heaved a huge sigh. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, bro. I'll chalk this all up to the last four days being hell. Seeing what we've seen." He walked up to Jay and extended his hand.

Jay shook it.

"Jes, where are the kids?" Antonio had to restrain himself from expressing his feelings for her with Jay present.

"Jacquie took them to pick up some snacks. They… just pulled up." Jes saw the headlights of her Journey pull up to the garage and heard the garage door open.

"Hey Dad!" The kids burst through the door.

"Hey guys!" Antonio hugged them. "So, let's thank Jes and Jacquie and we'll head home. I think Jay needs to spend some time with Jes."

"Sure thing, Dad." Diego ran to hug the girls. "Hey Uncle Jay, just so you know… you have the best sister. Since she's been my tutor, I've gotten all caught up and now I'm at the top of my class."

"Wow! Diego, that's awesome." Jay quickly forgot why he'd been so angry.

"Thanks for everything, Jes… Jacquie." Antonio waved from the doorway. "Call you later to set up tutoring for next week."

"Sure thing." Jacquie smiled. "Bye guys." She turned to head upstairs. "I'm heading to Kevin's, he's, uh… having a tough go… said this was one of the worst cases he's seen and Vinessa is at a sleep over."

"Yeah. Go. I think I'll do the same for Jay." Jes smiled. "Let me know when you get there?"

Jacquie agreed and Antonio bid everyone farewell. He knew that it had to be this way, but it hurt like hell to leave without so much as a kiss.

* * *

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* * *

Jes turned back to her brother. "Talk to me, Jay."

Jay told her what he could. By the end of it, they were both in tears. Jes went to grab a box of tissues.

"How could someone be so cruel to children?" She wept.

"I dunno, sis. This job has shown me the scum of the Earth, Jes. I hate it, but I know at the end of the day, I will find these monsters and bring them to justice.

"I'm so proud of you, Jay." She hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry for making a scene."

"You guys has a shitty case." Jes rubbed his back. "You guys were both still reeling from it. Just try not to make me the pariah of the neighbourhood."

"Got ya." He collected the Kleenex off the coffee table. "Hey, what snacks do you have around here?" He went to throw them out. "I think we need snack, some beer and a 'laugh-til-your-ribs-hurt' comedy."

"I'll handle the foor and drink, you find a movie… oh and give me your keys."

Jay cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

"You're staying over. Now hand 'em over."

"Okay…" He handed them over. "Now, scooch…"

Jes made popcorn and came back with it and a couple beers. Jay had chosen 'Airplane!' as the comedy. They sat and laughed until their ribs hurt.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio listened to all of Eva and Diego's stories. He truly had missed this.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah, Eva?"

"How long are you and Jes going to keep hiding this from Uncle Jay?"

"Uh… I'm… I'm not sure. It's up to Jes."

Diego looked up from the iPad. "I hope it's soon."

""Why?" Antonio stretched.

"You wouldn't have to be so awkward around everyone anymore." Eva chimed in.

"You gonna tell Mom?" Deigo asked.

"No! Uh uh! NO WAY!" Antonio stared at them. "Your mother can not find out…. At least not until after the divorce is finalized.

Eva covered Diego's mouth with her hand. "We promise."

"Good, now… let's get to bed. We'll have all the time to catch up tomorrow."

They all headed to bed. Antonio felt lonely. His bed was cold. He grabbed his cell and texted Jes.

- _Hey, Jay still there?_

She quickly replied. – _Yeah. He's out tho._

 _\- Can u talk?_

He got his answer when his cell began to vibrate. "Hey, baby."

"Hey yourself. I miss you."

"I know. I miss you too. It sucked leaving like I had to."

"But we have to… for now anyhow."

"I wish we didn't." Antonio sighed. "But I won't rush you."

"Soon. I just want time to be with you before anyone else finds out."

"Deal. Let me know when he leaves and we'll talk more about it then. I love you, Jes."

"Love you too, Antonio. Get some sleep."

"Night babe."

"Good night, Detective."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **The next week…**_

Laura had called to say she was on her way back. She'd been gone for a little over two weeks and the kids were not happy that she was coming back.

"Guys, until everything's finalized, you don't get a choice and neither do I."

"Can we at least see Jes before we go back?" Eva pleaded.

"You guys do know you still have tutoring, even if you're staying with your mom."

"Please."

"I'll call her and see if she can pop by." Antonio caved. "Go get your stuff ready while we wait." While the kids were getting ready, he dialled Jes. He waited for her to answer. She finally picked up on the fifth ring. "Hey, did I interrupt something?" He asked.

"No. I was driving. Didn't want to get a ticket." She laughed.

"Fair enough. The kids want to see you. Laura's back tonight."

Just then the doorbell rang. "Hang on, Jes. She might be here already." He opened the door. "What?"

"Hi babe." Jes stood grinning on his doorstep.

"How?"

"Eva texted me. She's… uh… upset. To put it lightly."

"Ah." He stepped back to allow her in. "Come in."

Jes stepped in and kissed Antonio. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." He held her tightly. "Kids! Jes is here."

A quick patter of feet and squeals of joy and the kids were there to greet Jes.

"Hey. You guys are acting like you'll never see her again." Antonio commented.

"I'm still your tutor." Jes added. "I'm not going anywhere."

"What about Mom?" Eva's worry saturated her voice.

"I won't let her stop you guys from getting tutored. No judge is stupid enough to stop that. Your education trumps and of your mom's desires."

"Your dad's right." Jes reassured the kids. "Trust me."

The four went into the kitchen and made homemade pizzas. They discussed how Jes was going to tell Jay that she was dating his best friend. Antonio was watching the time closely. Laura's flight should've landed already. Laura should've been her already. He wasn't eager for her to show up, but he also knew that they needed to get back into a routine. It was almost six when Antonio heard the doorbell.

"That's probably your mom. Get your stuff ready guys." He said as he went to answer the door. "You're fucking late!" He hissed as he opened the door. To his surprise Burgess and Roman were there in full patrol uniform, grim looks pasted to their faces. "Uh, kids… never mind. Help Jes figure out supper." He turned back to Roman. "What's… uh.. up you guys?"

"Uh, we have a problem." Roman started.

"What? What's happening?"

"Can we come in?" Kim asked.

"Uh, oh yeah. Uh… I'm going to have the kids… uh… yeah." He left the living room and asked Eva and Diego to go heat up the grill and stay out on the deck. He came back with Jes in tow. He knew having two uniformed patrolmen on your doorstep was never a good thing. He and Jes sat on the couch. "So… uh… what's going on?" He finally asked, shakily.

"It's about Laura." Burgess started. "Um… she… uh..."

"We got a call from Customs at Midway. Laura was caught smuggling large quantities of cocaine back into the States." Roman finished. He didn't necessarily have the best people skills, but because he was still fairly new to 21, he didn't have the same connection as Burgess with the Dawson family.

"She WHAT?!"' Antonio jumped up from the couch.

"Yeah, but because she's still using the Dawson last name and you're not officially divorced yet…"

Roman jumped in again. "She said her husband was a Detective within the CPD's Intelligence sector… and, long story short, Voight went to pick her up. She's at the District now and she's not talking until you get there."

Antonio was beyond livid. He took a swing at the wall. His knuckles were bleeding and there was now a hole in the wall. "FUCK!"

This brought Eva and Diego running. "Dad?!"

Jes ran to them. "Go back outside. We'll, uh… we'll come talk to you in a minute. Okay?" The kids nodded and went back to the deck, but they turned off the grill. They sensed that something was very wrong. Jes went to Antonio's side. "Let me see your hand."

"No. Jes, really, I'm fine."

"Show me. Now. Please."

Antonio knew that tone. He conceded and showed her his hand.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed. "You're lucky you didn't bust your hand." She looked him in the eye. "Where's your First Aid kit?"

"Under the kitchen sink." He sighed.

Jes ran and got it. She came back and treated his hand. Once it was all bandaged, she looked deep into his eyes. "Go, deal with this. I'll find a way to let Eva and Diego in but I won't say more since we don't have all the facts. I've had to break worse news." She cupped his face. "Let Voight deal with her. Don't let her suck you back in, baby. This isn't your problem."

He nodded. "I know. I love you." He bent down to kiss her. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Roman and Burgess had been unaware about their relationship. "Jay know about this?" Roman asked.

The glare Antonio shot them had Burgess replying. "Obviously not a fact that we… uh… need made known right now. Our lips are sealed."

"Let's go." Antonio pulled on his boots and grabbed his coat. "Jes… I… I don't…"

"Don't worry about it. I love you. I'm not going anywhere. Keep us in the loop."

"Always." He let Roman and Burgess lead the way. He got in their patrol car.

Roman turned back and looked at Antonio. "So you and Halstead's sister, huh?"

"Drive Roman. Now." Antonio snapped.

* * *

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* * *

The pressure was high when Antonio stepped into District 21. Considering that everyone knew Laura, they all knew how hard this must be for Antonio. He bolted up the stairs to Intelligence. All eyes were on him when he got up there. Voight was waiting for him next to Nadia's desk.

"Antonio…"

"Where is she?" Antonio demanded.

"Interrogation." Voight put his hand out to stop Antonio. "You can't be involved here. You know that."

"You're not gonna beat a confession out of my ex-wife and the mother of my children."

"Ex? So really weren't trying to save anything?" Voight questioned. He'd made the right call. He knew it.

"No. She walked. I'm not gonna chase her, especially after this stunt."

Voight leaned in and whispered. "Do the kids know?"

"Not yet. Jes is with them. I wanted more facts before I had to tell them anything."

"Okay. Well, you can be in the room, but Halstead and I are doing the questioning."

"Lawyer?"

"She waived that right."

"Okay. Deal."

The trio made their way to Interrogation where Laura sat, cuffed to the table. Her head was down until the door swung open. She raised her head. Antonio saw tear streaks and her make-up had run down her cheeks. When she saw Antonio she tried to stand up, but the cuffs wouldn't let her. "Antonio! Tell them! They've got this all wrong!"

Antonio ignored her please and stood in the corner with his arms crossed. Voight and Jay took their seats across from Laura. Jay opened the file he had been carrying and slid it towards Laura.

"What is this?!" She exclaimed.

"That's just what we've got so far." Jay pointed to the images. "All this tested positive for cocaine. All the 'gifts' you were bringing back had hidden compartments that hid almost pure coke."

"Not to mention the face that Andres Gaviria, the man who bought your plane tickes, is a known member of the Envigado Office. Hell, he's one of the top of the food chain in that cartel." Voight added, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "You've gotten yourself into one hell of a mess, Laura."

She clamped her mouth shut.

"You can choose not to speak, Laura. That's your right, but, uh… I'd start talking." Jay followed suit and leaned back casually in his seat.

"This… these are all lies." She answered hoarsely.

"I didn't quite get that." Voight leaned in. "I must be getting old, or going deaf…"

"These are all lies!" She snapped. "You're making all of this up."

"Why the fuck would we do that?" Jay asked, ignoring her attitude.

"Because I left Antonio. This is some kind of revenge plot. Andres has nothing to do with the cartels. His family owns a coffee plantation. His mother is sick. That's why were down there."

Voight got right into her face. "If you're that ignorant, then I don't know what to say, but I do know that Andres has ties to the same son of a bitch that kidnapped YOUR SON and almost killed Antonio!"

Laura's jaw dropped. "You lying son of a…"

Jay's fist slammed down on the table. "Enough!" He shook his head. "We need you to realize how much shit you've landed yourself in."

Antonio took the file from Jay and went back to his corner. He wasn't saying anything. Not yet, anyhow.

Voight glared at her. "You want nothing to do with Antonio since he got shot, yet you use HIS name to try and get you out of drug trafficking charges." He shrugged. "Why?"

"Because, I'm still his wife. I…"

"Yeah, about that…" Voight shook his finger at her. "Not anymore."

The rest of the team, including Roman and Burgess, were on the other side of the interrogation room glass. It took everyone, including Antonio by surprise. Laura asked the question that everyone had on their mind. "How? The custody…"

"Ya see…" Voight grinned. "Judges here in Chicago don't like it when mothers smuggle drugs into the country for known Cartel leaders. They like it even less when a mother does that while she's in the middle of divorcing a well respected, and highly revered CPD Detective." He pulled an envelope from his back pocket. "This here… This is your finalized divorce. You get nothing from Antonio. Nada."

"I get custody." She sounded braver than she felt. "No judge will allow a cop to raise his kids with a record like Antonio's." She smirked.

In the observation room, Adam asked. "Voight did look into that, right?"

The question earned Adam glares and a smack behind the head from Al. "Whatta ya think?" They turned their attention back to the interrogation room.

"Oh…" Voight laughed. "I may be old but I'm not stupid. You've lost custody. Antonio now has sole custody."

"You… you… you can't do that." She stuttered.

Jay jumped in. "He can and he did!"

She turned to Antonio, who may as well have been a statue in the room. "How are you going to raise the kids, on your own, when you're never home in the first place." She snorted. "You don't even know!"

Before Antonio could respond, Voight shut her up. "He has family here. We'll all help, because unlike you, we actually care about Eva and Diego."

Jay added to it. "The judge saw we had enough proof when you just dumped them off at Antonio's. You never bothered to call to check in on them once while you were in Drug Central for two weeks." He leaned in. "I'm sure the Judge found it very interesting when Sergeant Voight here told him you weren't going to allow Antonio to get them a tutor for school."

Voight smiled. "Oh, yeah. He found it odd. He found it even more off when I mentioned who Antonio had hired as their tutor. He was flat out disgusted. Turns out, the tutor is big news around here."

Laura had almost lost all words. She just laid her head on the table and sighed. She looked up and turned to Antonio. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Antonio turned to Voight. Voight nodded. Antonio walked up to the table and slammed the file down on it. "What the FUCK were you thinking?!"

Laura cringed, wishing she hadn't opened that can of worms.

"Drugs! The kids know you were in Medellin! They have a pretty clear idea of what you've been up to. Fuck! They've told me things. Things kids should never have to see. You should be ashamed of yourself." He got right in her face. "They walked in on you fucking that son of a bitch! Did you know that?"

Laura's jaw dropped.

"Of course you didn't!" Antonio pounded the table. His blood was boiling. "They feel ignored. I don't care about what you do to me, but the instant you involve the kids… And your new boy toy is part of the crew that kidnapped OUR SON? Almost killed me! Uh uh! No way!" He was hyperventilating. "You're done. Cooked! Voight, do whatever you want with her. I'm out!" He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kevin, upon witnessing this, took off after him. The rest of the team stayed to see what would play out next.

"Well, Laura, it would seem Antonio doesn't give a shit about your future. The question is: Do you?"

Laura turned to face Voight. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Laura…" Jay put his hands together. "You have two options. See, Andres didn't have any drugs with him… this is why he's walking around as a free man. You, however, have so much evidence against you, you're looking at: Door number 1: 30 plus years of jail time in gen. pop… with zero visitation privileges."

"No! No way! What's door number 2?" Laura knew she'd never survive in prison.

Voight got up and knelt next to her. "You get released… on the condition that you become a CI. You would answer solely to me or Halstead here. That's it. You get us the info we need, we arrest your boyfriend and his crew… you walk away… no record… no nothing…"

"I'll do it!"

"You didn't let me finish!" Voight roared. "You walk away from everything… everyone… that includes Eva and Diego. You'll never see them again after this case is over." Laura tried to interrupt him again, but he stopped her. "You try to fuck me over on this… I'll put you where Pulpo should've ended up. You will not fuck with Antonio's life anymore. You will not fuck up your children's lives anymore. We get the cartel players and you get the fuck out of my city. That's your offer."

Laura stammered. "But… but…"

"No buts Laura!" Voight slammed his fist against the table, causing her to jump.

"Door 1 or door 2?" Jay stood and stretched.

"I'm gonna give you five minutes…" Voight walked to the door. "Then, if you haven't made up your mind… I choose for you."

Laura wept as she pondered which option was the least horrible. Either way, she'd lost everything.

* * *

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* * *

Kevin caught up to Antonio in the locker room. He was punching a locker. "Hey, man."

Antonio fell to the floor, his energy drained. Tears slowly began streaming down his face. It was the first time since Laura had left that he'd fallen apart. "20 years together down the fucking toilet! Thrown away! My kids don't have a mother because she'd rather fuck around with the cartel than raise our children." He kicked the garbage can. "What do I tell them?"

Kevin knelt in front of him. "Hey, this isn't on you, man."

Antonio knew this was true. "Still feel like I failed somewhere along the way."

"Nah, man. You worked your ass off. She gave up. You've got a great life now. The kids have you. You've got Jes. Don't let Laura bring you down no more."

"You're right." Antonio stood up and dusted himself off.

There was a knock at the door. "'Tonio?" Voight's gravelly voice came through.

"Yeah, boss. I'm here."

Voight sauntered into the locker room. "You okay, Antonio?"

"Yeah, all things considering."

Voight put his hand on Antonio's shoulder. "We're all here for you, bro."

"I know. It means a lot. Uh, thanks… for the custody… and uh… pushing through the divorce."

"Don't worry 'bout it. You needed it. Those kids… they need you." Voight patted his shoulder. "You also needed it for that fresh start you've got going with Halstead's sister."

Antonio and Kevin looked to each other before turning back to Voight. "Uh?"

"Don't worry Antonio, I ain't telling no one and Jay's none the wiser."

"How'd you know, Boss?" Kevin asked.

"Atwater, when you've been a cop as long as me, you know things because you see it." Voight looked back to Antonio. "Jeslyn's a good, strong woman. You'll get through this. So, right now, Jay's babysitting Laura." Voight went on to explain Laura's options.

"If she goes the CI route, can she still communicate with the kids?"

"Only if **they** want to and only if **you** let her." Voight was sympathetic. "I'm gonna go find out which one she chose. Go with Atwater and wait with the others." Voight patted Antonio's shoulder one last time and left.

Antonio and Kevin followed. As Voight went back into Interrogation, the other two went into the observation room.

"Time's up." Voight said as he walked in. He sat back down. "Which one?"

"I have one question." Laura whispered.

"Okay."

"If I were to go option two, can I at least see Eva and Diego while the case is still ongoing?"

Voight nodded. "Yeah, so long as they want to see you and Antonio is good with it. It'll have to be on his terms. Not yours."

"I'll do it." She sighed. "I'll be your CI."

"Good choice. Now, you get us the information we need to bring your boy toy down and you leave… for good. While you're my CI, you'll have some leniency, but… IF you try and fuck me over, you're done." He stared straight into her soul. "Got it?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Jay, here, will get you the necessary paperwork." He extended his hand. "Nice working with you." He got up and left, leaving Jay to explain the documentation.

Behind the glass, everyone turned to Antonio. Questions were flying. Antonio raised his hands. "Woah! I'm fine, but explaining this to the kids, that's going to be a challenge."

"You've got this, Antonio." Al patted him on the back.

Erin was looking between what Jay was doing in Interrogation and Antonio. She sighed. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

Antonio nodded and they went into the bullpen.

"Are you still seeing Jes?"

"Erin…"

"No, hear me out. Right now, you need all the help you can get. I know she's been helping you with them. You need that now."

"I know."

"But, you guys will have to eventually tell him the truth."

"Erin, you're a great cop, but you're the last one who should be talking about this stuff."

"What are you talking about?"

Antonio crossed his arms. "Voight told you not to have a relationship with Jay, yet you are. Jes was told the same thing. You know why neither of you listen? Because you're both grown, independent women who do what they want, when they want. We'll tell him. Just need to find the right time."

"Okay. Fair enough." Erin turned as she heard the door to Interrogation close. They both walked towards Jay who was just leaving the room. He sighed.

"Everything okay?" Erin asked.

Jay nodded. "She is a piece of work."

"She sign everything?" Antonio wondered.

"Yeah." Jay looked to his best friend. "Hey, 'Tonio, I'm sorry you're being dragged through hell with this. How are the kids?"

"They don't know. Jes is with them right now."

"Hey, I know I was an ass earlier. I know this has been hell for you, and you need the help… So if you ask Jes for help, I'm not gonna bitch you out for it anymore."

"Thanks. I know you're just looking out for her. Um, if I'm not needed anymore, I've got to go and break all this to Eva and Diego."

Voight had just reappeared. "Yeah. Go ahead. We've got this. Uh, take a few days furlough and get them back to your place. Laura won't be back at her place for a couple more days while we prep her cover. Go over there and get the kids' things."

"Thanks Sarge." Antonio shook Voight's hand and booked it out of the bullpen. He stopped. "Hey! Atwater! Can I get a lift home?"

* * *

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* * *

Jes knew it was her place to tell Eva and Diego about their mother. She also knew that while she could never replace Laura as their mother, she was the closest thing the kids had to a mother-like role model in their lives. She had to catch herself when she realized she was almost their step mom. Antonio had been gone for a couple hours already. She decided that the kids needed to eat supper. So they grilled some chicken and veggies while Jes made a rice pilaf. They were eating when the doorbell rang. Jes excused herself and went to the door. She was surprised to see Gaby.

"Hey, Jes. Am I interrupting Date Night?"

"Uh…" Jes stepped outside and closed the door. "Antonio's not here."

"So you're just chilling here?"

Jes shook her head. "The kids are still here."

"Where the fuck is Laura? Where's Antonio?"

"Laura was stopped when going through customs with drugs. She's at the District and won't talk unless Antonio is there."

"So it's not just a rumour?"

"I'm afraid not. The kids haven't been told yet. They know something's up, but they're waiting for Antonio to come home."

"Hmm. So he went."

"By the sounds of it, Hank wasn't leaving him much choice."

Gaby sighed. "That woman… ugh… Could… may I could stay?"

"Sure, we just finished supper. We were about to break out the board games."

Gaby nodded. They went into the house. While everyone was anxious, they enjoyed the challenge of 'Operation' and 'Headbandz'. After about another hour and a half, Antonio was finally home. He asked the kids to get ready for bed while he explained the situation with Laura to Gaby and Jes.

"What do you make of all this?" Gaby asked.

"She made her bed, time to let her lie in it." Antonio replied. "Voight got the divorced finalized and I've got sole custody of the kids."

"Well, at least they're gonna be safe." Gaby pointed out.

"I also found out that everyone but Jay knows that Jes and I are dating."

Jes' jaw dropped. "How?"

"My guess… we're not at sneaky as we thought we were."

"Well, we'll have to tell my brother eventually. I just want to be in a relationship longer than a couple weeks before telling him. I want a little more certainty."

Antonio stroked her cheek. "I dunno 'bout you, but I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her. "This… what we have, it's all I've ever wanted."

"Okay, you two!" Gaby exclaimed. "You can be smushy later, but we really need to talk to the kids."

Jes and Antonio nodded. "Eva! Diego!" Antonio called out.

The kids quickly reappeared from their respective rooms. "Yeah, Dad?"

Antonio patted the couch. "Come, sit."

Once the kids were seated, they looked to the three adults. "Dad, what's going on?" Eva asked.

Antonio took a deep breath to steady himself. "Your mother has gotten herself mixed up with a bad group of people. That Andres guy she's been dating is actually a leader within the Envigado Office."

"Dad, didn't those guys replace the Medellin Cartel?" Diego asked.

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. They're bad people. Your mom… well… she got caught trying to bring cocaine back into the States." The kids gasped in shock. Antonio continued. "I know. It was a shock for me too. The airport called the District because she used my name. Sergeant Voight brought her to the District for questioning." Antonio paused. He wasn't sure how the kids would take this next part. "Sergeant Voight, he… uh… he went to a judge to get him to… to uh… finalize… your mom and me… well the divorce."

"Does that mean Mom's going to jail?" Diego asked while Eva asked, "Where are we going to live?!" at the exact same time.

Antonio threw his hands up. "Woah. Woah. Slow down, okay."

Jes stepped in. "Eva, Diego… breathe. Your dad's going to tell you everything. Just breathe."

Antonio watched in awe as both children were calmed instantly. He kept on with the day's events. "She's not going to jail. Uncle Jay and Sergeant Voight are going to have your mom work as an informant to bring the Office down. The judge who finalized the divorce… he also gave me sole custody. That means you're going to live here… with me. The days I'm working, Tia Gaby or Jes will pick you up from school. Now if you want to talk to your mom or see her, it has to be when I'm around and only **if you** want to see her."

"So we get to stay with you? She can't fight this?" Eva was still worried that her mom would try and take them away again. This time for good.

"She can't because of the deal she made to not go to jail." Antonio had had that same fear until Voight had guaranteed that Laura had no choice. "Here's the next thing. Once your mom helps Intelligence get the guys, she has to leave Chicago… for good. She can't have any communication with any of us anymore."

Eva and Diego felt a little lost, but felt more relief than anything. Diego turned to his dad. "Are we safe?"

Antonio hugged his son tightly. "Yes. I won't let anything happen to you. None of your family will." He finished explaining everything before asking if they had any questions.

"Do we get to go get our stuff from her house?" Eva really wanted to just move on.

"We're going tomorrow. Then we'll spend the weekend together before getting back into a solid routine."

Diego turned to Jes. "Will you come with us?"

"Sorry, guys. I've got to be at P2K tomorrow, but I am going to see you over the weekend." She hugged them both. "You need time with your dad. I'm going to get going. Someone has to feed Minion. I'll see you soon." She got up to go.

Antonio went with her and helped her with her jacket. "This weekend?"

She nodded. "P2K's Grand Opening is next week. I've gotta finish the prep." She smiled. "Plus Eva and Diego need time alone with their dad, not with their tutor."

He stroked her cheek. "I think you're more than just their tutor."

She blushed. "I love you, Antonio. You'll be fine." She kissed him. "I'll text you once I get home."

"Okay, baby. Drive safe. I love you." He opened the door. He watched her get into her car and drive off into the night. He went back to the living room. "Okay, bed time. I'm excusing you guys from school tomorrow, so go get some sleep. I love you." He gave each of them a hug and watched them go to bed. He turned to look at his baby sister. "What?"

Gaby shrugged. "I'm just… proud of you. Plus I'm happy that the kids are staying with you and not her." She hugged Antonio. "You have this great new beginning with Jes. She adores you."

"I love her, Gaby. Hell, I'd marry her…" He stopped himself.

"You'd what?!"

"I… I don't know where that came from." Antonio went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a shot of whiskey. "I… I just…" His hand was shaking as he poured another shot. Gaby went to stop him.

"Antonio, talk to me."

"Jes… she's everything." Antonio leaned against the wall.

"Something else is going on here, isn't it?"

Antonio nodded. "She's so different than Laura. She actually cares about what the kids do… and … I don't know! I didn't think I could love again, never mind consider getting married again."

"You guys have been together, what… a couple months?"

"Officially? Yeah, but the feelings have been there since I first laid eyes on her when Jay asked me to keep her safe."

"Have you guys… ya know?"

"Gaby!"

"Did you at least use protection?"

"Gabriella!"

"Antonio… I'm serious."

* * *

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* * *

"You WHAT?!" Jacquie exclaimed. "Why'd you wait so long to tell me?"

"It's only been a little over a week or so…"

"AND?!"

"Wow, is the only way to describe it." Jes' face felt like it was a three-alarm fire. She never imagined talking about this stuff.

"Have you guys talked about it?"

"Not a lot. We've been a little busy dealing with his ex's drama." Jes went on to explain the events that had unfurled involving Laura's arrest.

"Damn." Jacquie whistled. "Well, at least she's gone."

Jes nodded.

"Hey, did you tell Antonio beforehand about your latex allergy?"

"No… why?"

"How did he know that condoms to use?"

Jes froze. "We… we didn't use any."

"Jeslyn Charlotte Marie Bellamy!" Jacquie exploded.

"What?! It's not like I can get pregnant!"

* * *

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* * *

"That's not the point!" Gaby exclaimed.

"I haven't used the damned things in years. I forgot."

"You'd better hope Laura didn't give you anything."

"Laura and I hadn't had sex in almost a year… and that was before I got shot."

"So…"

"So, I'm fine. Jes is fine." Antonio sighed. "We're all going to be fine."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, there you have it folks. Next chapter is done; just need to edit and it'll be posted soon. Let me know what you think… yeah, I know… I totally don't like Laura… Until next time!**_


	11. Todo de Mi

_**A/N: Well… I'm back… This is going to be a somewhat explosive chapter… It takes place one week following Ch. 9. Please enjoy! Nicole**_

* * *

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* * *

Jes' heart was racing. Everything she had worked up to was now coming to fruition. She was pacing her living room. P2K's Grand Opening and Gala was tonight. She was on pins and needles. She jumped as her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Jes," Jay laughed. "Antsy much?"

"Very funny. Where are you?"

"On my way. Jes?"

"Yeah."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks big brother."

"So you got your big speech ready?"

"No."

"You're a teacher. How are you not prepared?"

Her doorbell rang and she ran to answer it. "Jay!" She hissed as she ended her call. "Come in."

"Again, how do you, Super Teacher, not have your speech planned?" Jay hugged his sister tightly.

"Uh, because like in teaching, some days you just wing it and fly by the seat of your pants."

"Interesting. You all ready for tonight?"

"Just need to get my shoes." She turned to her brother. "You clean up nice."

"Thanks sis." Jay was grinning. He was all cleaned up in a chic black suit with a crisp teal shirt and black tie. "You look gorgeous. Should've I brought a bat?"

"Why?"

"To beat off all the guys who'll be hitting on you."

"Oh." She laughed. "No, I'm good. I kinda figured that being surrounded by Intelligence was enough security. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Antonio is like my permanent bodyguard at these things. His words. Something about owing you?"

Jay shrugged. "Yeah, true." He took a moment to admire his sister's outfit. "New dress?"

Jes spun around. The ruby gown was sleek and shimmered in the light.

"That slit is a little high, don't ya think?"

"Oh! I'm sorry… I didn't realize you'd been promoted to 'dad'." Jes punched Jay's shoulder. "Let's go." She said as she slipped on her shoes.

"What about your partner in crime… Jacquie?"

"Kevin's picking me up!" Jacquie called out from upstairs.

"Okay!" Jay shouted back. He extended his arm to Jes. "Shall we?"

* * *

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* * *

Jes and Jay arrived shortly after the P2K volunteers and most of Intelligence, but they were still some of the first to arrive. Intelligence had invested just as much as Jes and Jacquie into P2K. Jes and Antonio had previously discussed what to do tonight so Jay wouldn't be suspicious. It was then that Antonio came up with the idea of being her bodyguard. Jay wouldn't be suspicious that way, especially since it had been his idea originally all those months ago. Jes could barely contain her excitement. Antonio was waiting for her when she arrived. He opened the car door and helped her out.

"You look beautiful." He whispered.

"Thanks. You're looking sharp." She squeezed his hand. It was so hard. She wanted to kiss him. "Where are Eva and Diego?"

"They'll be here. They're coming with Gaby. They were pumped when you asked them to help cut the ribbon."

"They're awesome and they deserve it. They're good examples of what P2K can offer and achieve."

Antonio leaned in and whispered. "I love you."

She nodded. "I know. Me too."

Jay came back from parking the car. "Well, well. The bodyguard matches the VIP." Antonio and Jes looked to him in confusion. Jay pointed to their outfits. "You're both wearing red."

"Well, Jay…" Jes sighed. "Great minds think alike. Let's go make pretty pictures for the press and rub elbows with the higher ups of Chicago." She put one arm through Antonio's and the other through Jay's as they made their way to the purple carpet that had been laid out specifically in honour of P2K.

After an hour of greeting politicians, heads of emergency services and many donors, it was time for Jes' speech. Jacquie had given the overview of P2K and thanked those who had made tonight possible. "Now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce my partner in crime and the brain child behind Power 2 Kids, my best friend, Jeslyn Bellamy!"

A roar of applause welcomed Jes to the podium. Antonio helped her step up and took his place next to her. "Welcome everyone! I know that tonight is a big night for everyone here, but it's the reason for being here that is that much more important." She motioned to Jacquie and Kevin and they pulled down the fabric covering P2K's sign. "This sign is a sign for all the kids in Chicago that need a safe place. They will always be welcome here. Power 2 Kids isn't just a safe haven. Here, kids can learn life skills that they'll need like healthy cooking and budgeting. They can also get tutoring to beat the odds that society has set out for them concerning their education. They can come here to play sports or even box with some of CPD's finest, who will help them work out their frustrations without having them resort to joining the gangs that plague our streets!" She waited for the cheers and applause to die down. "P2K is for any child or teen that feels they have nowhere to go. Money isn't a factor. Where they come from isn't a factor. Race, sexual orientation and gender aren't factors either. The only thing that matters is that they are young people, the future of Chicago, who want to be safe and become better citizens. Thank you to all who have supported my dream. Mayor Emanuel and City Council. The brave First Responders of Firehouse 51 and District 21. My best friend and partner in this endeavour, Miss Jacquie Lennox. My brother, and personal hero, Jay Halstead. Finally, last but most definitely not least, two amazing young people who have shown me amazing things since I've met them. These two have encouraged me and shown my why P2K will be so crucial in Chicago. I'd like to ask Eva and Diego to come up here and help me cut the ribbon with Mayor Emanuel to officially open Power 2 Kids Youth Centre."

Applause and cheers thundered around them. They got into position. The press followed suit to capture every moment. The group posed and smiled, then Jes counted to 3. They cut the ribbon. Soon the sky, and everyone gathered was covered in confetti.

"Welcome, one and all, to Power 2 Kids!" Jes shouted over the crowd.

Antonio quickly appeared by her side, followed closely by Jay. They would head inside to give a general tour of the facilities while explaining the different programming that would be available.

"Wow, Sis!" Jay exclaimed. "Not bad for someone flying by the seat of their pants."

Antonio looked at her in shock and amazement. "That wasn't rehearsed?"

Jacquie and Kevin soon appeared. Jacquie grinned. "Didn't you know Jes here, is the Improv Queen?"

"Jacquie!" Jes glared at her roommate.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Kevin hugged Jes. "You did great. This is so perfect for our communities. Vinessa already asked if she could come by sometime."

"Always." Jes beamed.

"Definitely." Jacquie giggled.

The group headed in and began to tour. Upon the completion of the tour, everyone was seated for the banquet and silent auction. The silent auction ended up raising enormous funds, which would be used for the healthy eating program being offered. This didn't just mean for cooking class but also providing meals to the kids who so desperately needed them. Jes and Jacquie spent a good chunk of the rest of the evening meeting with politicians and the higher ups to be congratulated or even offered more donations. Jes also took time to visit with the CFD and CPD members who had stood by her throughout the process of making this dream a reality.

"Fabulous job, Jeslyn. Really great work." Voight hugged her, then Jacquie. "This is just what Chicago needs."

"Thank you Sergeant." Both women said in unison.

"Hank, please." He shook their hands. "Great work. All the best. I'll let you ladies get back to mingling and enjoying the evening."

Jes and Jacquie thanked him and watched as he left. Antonio came up to them. "Great work, you two. It's a hit. According to Nadia, #P2K is trending on Twitter and Facebook. She says you guys may even go viral before tomorrow."

"Well, I guess that's a start." Jacquie laughed. "So serious question, for both of you."

"Shoot." Antonio was eager just to have a moment alone with Jes.

"When are you guys going to come out and tell Jay?"

Jes looked around to see where Jay was. Luckily, Kevin had him distracted with Kelly Severide and Newhouse. She turned to face Antonio. "We haven't talked about it, yet."

"Why?" Antonio posed the obvious question.

"The only person on this planet that is still oblivious to your relationship is Jay. I don't think he'll be oblivious for that much longer because Erin keeps glaring lasers your guys way."

"Well, it is our three month anniversary." Antonio pointed out.

"You remembered." Jes and Jacquie were very surprised.

"What?" Antonio was confused.

"Babe, not many men remember those little details." Jes snuck a quick kiss. "Maybe we'll have him over Sunday, for dinner. Tell him then?"

"So you'll tell him in two days?"

They nodded. "Gives us time to come up with what we're going to say." Jes smiled.

"Great, uh, we should maybe have some backup at home… you know… in case Jay looses his shit?" Jacquie asked.

Jes nodded in full agreement.

"Get Kevin to come with Vinessa, I'll ask Gaby and Matt to come too, since their watching the kids. With kids there, he may not blow up as much." Antonio said. "Better safe than sorry."

The night passed on. There was laughter and many stories shared. As the night wore on, guests began to leave. Soon all those who remained were either P2K staff, members of Intelligence or members of Firehouse 51. They kept the music going as they cleaned up the remains of the event. Jay, Kevin and Adam were putting the chairs away. Antonio had already arranged for Eva and Diego to stay with Gaby and Matt. He had plans for Jes since it was their three-month anniversary the next day. Once everything was back in place, everyone headed their own way.

Jay approached Jes and Jacquie. "Hey."

"Hey Jay. Thanks for helping put things back in place." Jes hugged him.

"Anything for you, lil sis." He kissed her forehead. "So, need a ride home?"

She shook her head and pointed to Jacquie. "We're riding back with Kevin and Antonio. Antonio's car is at home and Kevin's staying over with Vinessa."

"Fair enough." He turned to leave.

"Hey! Jay." Jes called after him.

"Yeah?"

"You got plans Sunday night?"

Jay shook his head. "No, why?"

"Come over for supper?"

"Sure. Sounds good. What time?"

"Six?"

"I'll be there. I'm still so proud of you. Love you, Jeslyn."

"I love you too, Jay." She waved to him as he followed Erin out of the main room of P2K.

Antonio came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey baby."

"Hey yourself, Detective." She turned her head to kiss him. "Can we go home now?"

"I thought you'd never ask." He laughed.

* * *

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* * *

Jes awoke and was startled by Antonio's absence. The bed was cooler without him in it. She put on her glasses and saw a Post It note on her mirror. It read ' _Happy Anniversary, mi amor. I'm bringing you a surprise or two. Be back soon. Xoxo."_ She smiled and got back in bed. She got herself comfy and while waiting, began planning different culinary activities to do at P2K. Antonio reappeared halfway through her idea of an 'Iron Chef' challenge. He was carrying a tray full of delicious breakfast treats.

"Wow, Antonio!" She was in awe of everything he'd brought.

He kissed her as he placed the tray on the bed. "Helps that I still own a bakery."

"You, Antonio Dawson, own a bakery?"

He snickered. "Laura and I owned it, but with the divorce it became mine. Voight paid her out to make sure I had it. It's for the kids. Eva and Diego just love it there."

"Wow." She picked up a croissant. "These are still warm!"

He grinned. "Glad to hear it. My baker went above and beyond this morning." He got back in bed. "Go ahead. Dig in!"

Jes sampled a little bit of everything. There were croissants, danishes, cinnamon buns and caramel pecan rolls as well as fresh fruit and Greek yogurt. "That was amazing."

He wiped a little bit of cream cheese frosting from her cheek. "Happy Anniversary, babe."

Her cheeks burned. "Happy Anniversary Antonio." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"So what else do you have planned for today?"

"I wanted to show you something that very few people know about me. Cover your eyes."

She did as she was asked. He got off the bed and went to the door where he had hid the surprise. He came back and sat down in front of her. He positioned his guitar and strummed the opening chords to John Legend's 'All of Me'. Jes' eyes flew open. She never knew, nor would she have ever guess that Antonio played the guitar. He began to sing the song, but using Spanish lyrics. Jes was in awe. She could make out some of it, but just listening to him was like hearing an angel. When he got to the chorus, she felt a shiver go up her spine. "Te quiero así, y así me quieres tu mi final y mi comienzo a cada instante te pienso. Quiero darte todo de mi y que me des todo tu."

Jes was breathless and taken back as Antonio played the last few chords of the song. "That… that was beautiful." She felt a tear slide down her cheek. "I would've never guessed you were a musician."

"I only let the most important people in my life in on it."

"It was amazing. I loved it. Thank you."

Antonio put the guitar away. "So I have a question."

"Shoot."

"I know a lot people from Firehouse 51 and District 21 are dedicating volunteer time at P2K. I was wondering… what can I do to help?"

"Well," Jes had to think. "Kevin and Severide are going to be offering basic car maintenance and mechanics. Jay, Al, and Chief Boden are going to be offering a variety of basic self-defence classes. Matt and Adam volunteered to offer some basic carpentry courses. Gaby, Peter and Sylvie are offering First Aid. They're also my main backup for the nutrition programs. Maybe you could do music? Boxing? Reffing the sporting events?"

"That could work." He pulled her into his arms. "Do you guys have security lined up?"

"Jacquie and I talked about it. We don't want obvious security because it would maybe make the kids feel as if it were Juvie or something."

"Don't you think security would be necessary… in case the gangs retaliate for you stealing all their potential drug runners and such?"

Jes hadn't really considered that. "Hmm."

"Just an idea here… what I were to just kinda walk around if I'm not with a specific group, just to keep an eye on things. I'd be in plain clothes, make the kids feel safer."

"So like undercover security?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Sounds good to me. I could maybe ask Kim and Sean if they'd be able to do that too. They asked what they could contribute but at the time I wasn't exactly sure."

"I think they'd be great for it. They're younger, the kids might feel more comfortable talking to them about certain problems." Antonio brushed her arm.

"Mmm. I love it when you do that." Jes whispered.

"How about this?" He kissed her neck and slowly made his way to her collarbone.

The moan that escaped her lips told him everything he needed to know. He tore off his clothes. He pulled back the blankets. Jes shivered. This was all still new to her. He got under the blankets and pulled her to him. He hooked his thumbs in her underwear and slid them down. He tossed them to the side before kissing her slowly, their tongues intermingling. His hands gently caressed her body. She arched into him as his hands gently ran over her breasts. He slowly moved down her body, kissing along the way. He went lower until he was right at the sweet spot between her thighs. He gently eased them apart and began to lick and suck until Jes was bucking beneath him in ecstasy.

* * *

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* * *

Jacquie and Kevin were enjoying watching Vinessa play 'Just Dance'. The volume was up high enough so that no one would hear the anniversary celebrations that were going on upstairs. Gaby and the kids soon arrived. Vinessa challenged the Dawson kids to a dance off while the grown ups discussed the success of the previous night. They were cut off when the doorbell rang.

Kevin and Gaby turned to Jacquie. "Are we expecting anyone else?"

Jacquie shrugged. "Not that I know of." She got up and went to see who it was. Her jaw fell when she saw Jay and Erin on the front porch. "Uh, hey. What are you guys doing here?" She asked. She was thankful that Antonio had left his car at his place and that after Sunday, Jes would be driving him and the kids home.

"Jes forgot her jacket thingy in my car." Jay held up Jes' favourite black bolero.

"You could've brought it tomorrow."

"We were in the neighbourhood." Erin smiled.

Jacquie knew something was up. There was no reason for these two to be anywhere near Ravenswood today. She prayed they'd just leave. She didn't buy Erin's explanation for one second. "Well, thank you. I'll let Jes know. She'll appreciate it."

"Where is my sister anyhow?" Jay asked as he walked into the house passed Jacquie.

"Sleeping." Jacquie had to think on her feet. There was no way Jay could go upstairs. "She had a headache."

"She's seriously sleeping off a headache with all this rukus?" Erin had come up behind her and pointed to where the kids were having their dance off.

Jacquie was loosing her patience. "It's called earplugs."

It was right then when the music died and Jes' cries could be heard by all. Gaby bolted into action, ushering the kids outside to go pick veggies from Jes' garden out back to be used for lunch. Jay, thinking his sister was in danger, bolted up the stairs.

"Wait!" Jacquie cried out, but it was too late. "FUCK!"

Erin grinned as she leaned up against the wall. Jacquie took a swing at her, but Kevin jumped up and held her back. "It ain't worth it."

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* * *

Jes was about to cum. "Oh. Antonio! Oh God, yes!"

Antonio was close. He alternated his thrusting speed as he felt Jes clamp down around him. "Yes, baby. Yes!"

Jes thrust her hips up to his as her orgasm washed over her. Antonio froze as his orgasm rocked him.

Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open. Jes screamed. "Jay!"

Jay was in shock of what he was seeing. "WHAT THE FUCK!?"

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… I guess Jay knows now… I'm leaving it here… please wait patiently for the conclusion of this discovery. If anyone is interested in hearing the Spanish version of "All of Me", check out "Todo de Mi" by Trio Mi Amorch. It's almost a word for word translation and it is AMAZING! Let me know what you think! It'll be a while for me to finish the next chapter, so please be patient. Much love!**_


	12. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

_**A/N: Welcome to the chapter you've all been waiting for! We'll pick up right where we left off. Thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed this story and to all of you who have reviewed. I love reading them, and if I haven't answered them all personally, I'm sorry! I do love them. They make all this writing so worth it. So without further ado, here we go! Love y'all: Nicole!**_

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* * *

 _Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open. Jes screamed. "Jay!"_

 _Jay was in shock of what he was seeing. "WHAT THE FUCK!?"_

* * *

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* * *

Jay stepped into the room. "What the fuck?! Who…"

Jes was crying as Antonio instinctively rolled off of her and onto the floor. Jes pulled the comforter up to cover herself.

"Show yourself!" Jay shouted.

Jes sat up. "Jay, no… please…"

"Jes, enough! No one is just going to take advantage of my baby sister." He walked towards the bed. "Who the…"

Antonio stood up, covering himself with the sheet that was hanging off the bed. "Jay…" He said calmly.

"Ant… Antonio? Wha… how? What the fuck, man?!"

"Jay, listen to us…" Jes tried to calm her brother, but it was really hard considering how he had found them.

"No! Jes, no! Just no!" Jay punched the door. "I said no cops… yet here… you're fucking my partner... my best friend!"

Antonio slid back into the bed next to Jes and held her tightly. "Jay, listen…"

"No! NO FUCKING WAY, TONIO! I TRUSTED YOU! HOW COULD YOU?!"

By this point, Kevin and Jacquie had run upstairs to see what all the commotion was about. "Everything okay up here?" Kevin asked. They were stunned by the sight that was in front of them. Kevin had to jump into action when Jay lunged for Antonio. "Whoa! Jay, bro… calm down! Stop!"

Antonio had been ready. "Jay, we're not conspiring against you."

"The fuck you aren't! She's… she's my sister. I trusted you with her life!" Jay struggled to free himself from Kevin's restraint.

Jes finally snapped out of her daze and shouted. "How did you even know to come here today?! Supper is tomorrow."

"Erin told him." Jacquie finally had the whole picture.

Jes glared at him. "You couldn't just call? You had to burst in?"

Jay said nothing.

"We were going to tell you!" Jes got out of bed, draped in the comforter. Antonio tried to stop her.

Jay glared at him while avoiding looking at his sister. "Yeah? Really? When exactly were you planning on doing that?"

Jes walked right up to Jay, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "Tomorrow. At supper."

Jay, seeing the tears in his sister's eyes, stopped struggling. His body froze. "Jes… I'm… I …. I just…" He broke free from Kevin's grasp and took off down the stairs. Kevin took off after him.

Jes collapsed back onto the bed. Jacquie looked between the two lovers. "What. The. Fuck. Just happened up here?"

Antonio pulled Jes into his arms before answering. "Jay burst in while we… uh… were…"

"He burst in here when you were in the middle of having sex?" Jacquie gasped. "Holy shit!"

"Yeah." Antonio whispered. He tried to console Jes, but it wasn't working.

"Why?" Jes sobbed. "Why? We were going to tell him! Why couldn't she just leave us tell him?"

Antonio began to rub her back and whispered in her ear. "I'll go try and talk to him."

"Antonio, he's liable to kill…"

"No, baby, he won't. Kevin's there, plus, if I have to, I'll bring Gaby."

"Where's Erin?" Jes was furious. "That bitch! She's the reason…"

"She's in the living room… or at least she was before shit hit the fan." Jacquie wanted to go all bitch fight on Erin, but it wasn't her place.

"Look, baby." Antonio stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears. "It's out now, we just need to deal with it." Jes nodded silently. Antonio looked to Jacquie who sat on the bed, on the other side of her best friend. He got up discretely and pulled on the sweats that lay by the bed. He kissed Jes. "It'll be okay. I love you and nothing will ever change that."

* * *

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* * *

Kevin followed Jay into the basement. Jay was muttering to himself as he went to the punching bag that the girls had set up. He punched a rapid sequence of hooks and crosses.

"Jay." Kevin said. "Hey, man. You gotta talk to somebody."

Jay stopped the attack on the bag. "Did you know?"

Kevin nodded slowly. "Yeah, I knew."

"Why didn't you say…"

"'Cause, Jay, it wasn't my place… or Jacquie's… or anyone else's. I don't think they meant for this to happen, and I know they sure as hell didn't do this just to piss you off. They fell in love, man. It happens. You should know that better than anyone. You can't help who you fall in love with."

"I…" He turned back to the bag. "I made Jes cry. I promised her… I'd be the one guy who would never make her cry."

"Jay… bro… none of this is happening… look they **were** going to tell you… They were…"

Antonio cut in as he came down the stairs. "We were trying to figure out exactly how to tell you."

Jay swung around from the bag. "Of all the… I never thought it would be you… It's why I asked you…"

Kevin placed himself between his two friends.

"Kevin, MOVE." Antonio ordered.

"No way." Kevin stood his ground. "No way in hell I'm gonna let you two kill each other."

"Kev." Jay whispered.

"Antonio? Jay?" Jes was calling out.

"Basement!" Antonio called back.

It was only a matter of seconds before Jes joined them. "Jay." She walked over to them. "Will you please listen to me?" She touched his arm lightly. "To us?"

Jay glared at Antonio but nodded. He stalked passed them and went to the living room upstairs. Antonio took Jes' hand and the remaining group followed Jay.

Jacquie had called Matt to come by and help Gaby with the kids. They didn't need to see this. Erin was still in the living room, gloating. Antonio quickly clued into what had really happened. "You!"

Erin feigned innocence. "What?"

"Kitchen… now!" Antonio roared.

Jes put her hand on Jay's chest to stop him. "Let's sit. Please, Jay?"

Jay nodded, but kept a weary eye on Erin as she got up to go into the kitchen. Kevin, sensing the uneasiness in the room, got up and followed Antonio and Erin.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio turned to Erin in rage. "YOU PROMISED! YOU FUCKING PROMISED! A WEEK AGO!"

"You've had more than enough time to tell him." Erin retorted.

"So because it didn't happen on your schedule, you decided it was your place to hell him?"

"I didn't tell him, he saw it with his own two eyes. He deserved to know, Antonio."

"So because you can't openly date Jay because Voight said so, you have to take out your frustrations on people you're jealous of?"

"This has…"

"Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare try to tell me this has nothing to do with Voight not letting you date Jay! Get out! Leave! You've made your point. You also made Jay break a promise to Jes that he made years ago. He made her cry! So, I hope you're fucking happy with yourself! Get the fuck out of here!" Erin, unsure of what to say, scurried out the back door. Antonio turned to Kevin. "Let's go." He walked back to the living room. Jay stood up. Antonio could tell by his stance that Jay was going to take a swing at him. He kept his body loose as Jay lunged at him.

"How could you!" Jay screamed as his right hook connected with Antonio's jaw. His left fist was coming for his cheek but Kevin pushed Antonio out of the way. Jay cried out as his fist connected with Kevin's face. Everything seemed like it was happening in slow motion.

"Enough!" Jes wept. "Stop it!" She ran to Antonio's side. "Please."

Jay froze. The tone of her voice made him flashback to when she'd received the news of her father's death. He watched her as she examined Antonio. That's when he saw it. The mutual love that Jes and Antonio shared.

Jes helped Antonio to his feet. He rubbed his jaw. "I'm fine, baby. Really, I am. I was… I had it coming."

Jacquie, who until now had been sitting on the sidelines, got up and checked on Kevin. She turned to Jes. Jes nodded. "Okay, so now that y'all got your testosterone rage out, can we please all sit and talk about this, like the mature adults we all are? Ya know, before one of our caring neighbours calls the cops… even though you three lovely gentlemen are CPD."

Everyone quickly found seats. Jes began to speak. "Look, Jay, I need you to promise that you'll let me speak. That you'll hear me out."

"Yes." He nodded. "But, uh… before you do… I need… I need to apologize to you. I broke my promise to you. I swore I would be the only guy in your life who would never make you cry, so long as I lived. I'm sorry."

"It's… It's fine, Jay. You were… upset. We… I had lied to you." Jes said softly as she grasped Antonio's hand for support and strength. "We were going to tell you. That's why I asked you to come over for supper."

"How long?" Jay's question was barely a whisper.

"How long have we been seeing each other? Or how long have we had feelings for each other? Because they're not the same."

"Both."

Jes turned to Antonio. "Antonio and I have been seeing each other officially for the last three months. The feelings… well… for me, have been there since he kept me safe when you asked him to. It wasn't planned, but it happened and we love each other."

Jay looked to his best friend. "Antonio?"

"I started having feelings for her the moment I laid eyes on her. Around that same time. We tried to hold off… to fight the feelings… but…"

"Jay, you always told me that you only wanted my happiness." Jes reminded him of what he had told her when he dropped her off at university her first year.

"I did… and I still do."

"I'm happy with Antonio. He respects me… treats me like a queen." Jes smiled. "Can't you allow me that happiness?"

"Jes, I do want you happy. You deserve that more than anyone, but don't you understand that his job… it's the same as mine… It's the same dangers… and now he's got sole custody of the kids. There's a lot of things in motion here."

"I know that, Jay. Antonio and I talked about all of that. Extensively. As long as he's open, well as much as he can be, about his work, we're fine." Jes got up and went to her brother's side. "The kids, everyone… they've known for some time. Everyone else is okay with it. Please, Jay…. Please don't take this away from me."

"Jeslyn," He was using her full name, so this had to be important. "Why couldn't you just talk to me about all of this?" Jay was more upset with how this had all come about than anything else.

"Because, Jay, you were so adamant that I couldn't date a cop. Telling you that I was falling for one of your partners and friends… I don't think that would've gone over very well."

"You're probably right." Jay sighed. "You really love him?"

Jes nodded. "Yes. Look, Jay, it's not the most conventional way of meeting… it's a unique relationship, but…"

"Jay…" Antonio said. "You have every right to be pissed, bro, I know that… but I love your sister. Nothing will change that, but I also know that you're pissed at me."

"Yeah, Antonio… I'm pissed." Jay clenched his fists. "I want Jes to be happy and if she's happy with you, then great. I still want to beat your ass for doing this. For hiding it from me. You're my best friend… but… still, you betrayed my trust."

"Fine." Antonio surrendered.

"You always wanted to spar… so now's your chance… you and me… in the ring."

"Deal."

"Whoa! Hold on, just a second!" Jes stood up. "No way! You two aren't going to fight each…"

"Jes, let them have at it." Kevin took her arm. "It'll be for the best." He whispered.

"How exactly is them duking it out for the best?" Jes whispered back.

"Let them both get their anger out and this will be over for good." Jacquie jumped in. "It's a situation like the teenage boys we used to teach."

"Oh great. Just fucking great." Jes muttered. "I need fresh air."

* * *

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* * *

Jes went out onto the deck. She needed to clear her head. She saw Matt, Gaby and the kids had returned. She waved to them. "Hey guys!"

"Jes!" Eva and Diego shouted as they ran to hug her. "Uh, where's everyone else?"

"They're inside."

"Uh, are they okay?" Eva peaked around Jes into the house.

Gaby joined them. "Hey, go hang out with Vinessa and Matt for a bit."

The kids scampered off. Gaby faced Jes. "Hey, talk to me."

Jes explained the whole story, right up to the point of the proposed match during which she'd walked out of the house. She added Jacquie' explanation into the mix.

"She makes a valid point, Jes." Gaby squeezed Jes' shoulder.

"They're both amazing boxers. There's no hiding it. If it's no holds barred, they'll kill each other."

"Jes, we won't let that happen to them." Gaby hugged her. "Trust me."

Jes nodded. "I do, trust you."

"Hey, Jes." Gaby's face softened. "You know that they both love you, and this fight is just their fucked up way of telling each other that? Right?"

"I know."

"Jes, don't think me insensitive here, but how much do you love my brother?"

"Gaby?"

"I'm not trying to stop anything. I'm not Erin. I just, I worry 'bout all of you. I think of you as my sister. I just don't want to see Antonio or the kids get hurt again."

"I love Antonio, Gaby. He is who I'd love to spend the rest of my life with. Him and the kids."

"Good." Gaby grinned. "Now let's go inside and see what's all happened." They headed in, closely followed by Matt and the kids. There was still quite a bit of tension in the air when they got in there.

"Well?" Jes asked, hands on her hips.

Kevin asked Jacquie if she could drive Vinessa home before this all this the fan. Jacquie nodded and collected Vinessa's things. She took Kevin's keys and the duo headed back to Kevin's. As soon as they were gone, all attention was turned to Jay and Antonio.

"Dad, what happened to your lip?" Eva asked.

"Uncle Jay decked him." Diego determined. He knew Jay's boxing style. He turned to Jay. "You know, don't you? About Jes and Dad?"

"Yeah, Diego. I found out."

Diego, being the bright kid he was, put two and two together. "You weren't happy when you found out about it, were you?"

Jay cleared his throat. "Not really."

Eva sighed. "How are you feeling about it now?"

"Better." Jay ran his fingers through his hair. "I uh… I overreacted."

"That's an understatement." Gaby pointed to Kevin's eye, which had begun to swell. "What did he do?"

"Pushed me aside when Jay went to clock me a second time." Antonio said.

"They're not done either." Jes mumbled.

"What is she talking about?" Matt questioned.

"They're going to have a boxing match over all this." Jes was still pissed. "Though, according to everyone, they'll be better after."

"That true?" Gaby asked.

"Yes." Jay and Antonio replied in unison.

"When is the happening?" Gaby asked again. She wasn't liking these one-word answers. She could see that Jes didn't either.

"Tonight." Kevin answered when neither Jay nor Antonio would answer.

"WHAT!?" Eva, Diego, Jes and Gaby exclaimed.

Jes forgot about her audience when she shouted. "Are you both out of your fucking minds!?" Then she saw the kids. "Sorry."

"No, Jes. You're right." Eva walked over to her dad. "Are you nuts?"

"Better now than letting this build up and affect us at work." Antonio pushed Eva's hair behind her ear.

"We wanna be there." Diego said as he cross his arms.

"Not happening, little man." Antonio replied. "You don't need to see this."

"We're going . End of story." Eva stood next to her little brother. Jes put her arms around them.

"Are you guys sure?" She asked.

"We've seen Dad box before. The Battle of the Badges." Diego said.

She turned to Antonio. "They'll come and they'll be with me."

"Jes…"

"Nope. You and Jay want to do this… so I get a say since this whole thing revolves around me anyhow. I get to set some ground rules because I'm not about to watch the two men I love beat each other to a pulp otherwise."

"Fine." Antonio surrendered.

"Rule one: You will not kill each other, no matter how pissed off you are at one another." She put up one finger. "Rule two: Follow boxing regulations. 3 minute rounds for a total of twelve rounds." She put up a second finger. "Lastly, no sucker punches or that kinda shit."

Jay turned to Antonio. Both men nodded. "Deal." They said.

"One last thing," Jes added, causing everyone to freeze. "There will be an audience to watch you two fools and there will be trained medical personal there. If this gets out of hand, it's over."

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* * *

Jay had gone home to get ready. Jes and Gaby talked to Antonio.

"You better not throw this fight, Tonio." Gaby glared at her brother.

"Why the hell would I do that, huh, Gaby?" Antonio returned the glare.

"Because you feel guilty or something."

"Gaby, can I have some time alone with Antonio?"

"Sure. I'll go make sure Sylvie and Peter can be there tonight." She kissed Antonio on the cheek. "Don't fuck this up, bro." She whispered. "She wants to spend the rest of her life with you."

Antonio nodded. "Love you."

"Love you too." Gaby went to hug Eva and Diego. "Be good."

"Yes, Tia Gaby." They waved as Gaby left.

"Jes?"

"Yes, Eva?"

"Do you want to talk to Dad alone?"

Jes nodded. "If that's okay?"

Diego smiled. "As long as you and Dad are together, we're cool."

Antonio ruffled his son's hair. "When did you get so wise? We're going to go onto the deck, and then we'll have to go get my boxing gear." He took Jes' hand and they went out into the late afternoon sun.

Eva turned to her brother. "How bad do you think this is going to get?"

"Uncle Jay caught them in bed together… so what do you think? We're going to need ice and lots of it."

"That's what I thought."

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* * *

"Baby, I'm so sorry." Antonio sat on one of the lounge chairs and pulled Jes into his lap. "I didn't want anything to ruin today."

"Erin ruined it, Antonio, not you. She's the reason Jay showed up here in the first place." Jes played with his hair. "She'll pay for that one day."

"Planning revenge, my love? Should I have to worry about bailing you out of lock-up?"

Jes giggled. "Nope, but Karma is a bitch."

"Very true." He could see that something was bothering her. "What's really bothering you?"

"I hate that you can read me like a book." She laid her head on his shoulder. "Do you really have to do this?"

"Fight your brother?"

"Mhmm."

"Yeah. I do. He's mad… he's pissed the fuck off. I violated his trust and in his eyes, I betrayed our friendship." He kissed her forehead, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I don't do this, it'll get dragged into work. That animosity is enough to ruin a case, or get one of us killed. That happens, and Voight's gonna have both of our asses."

"Hmph." She grunted. "I'm stuck between a rock and hard place."

"What do you mean?"

Jes shook her head. "My brother, whom I love dearly, is going into the boxing ring with you, the man I love and want to be with. I can't cheer for either side. I don't want either of you two to get hurt!"

"I promise you, babe, I'll be fine."

"I seriously feel like were back in the Medieval Times or something, where men would duel for the honour of a woman."

"When you put it that way, Jes, you make it sound romantic." His voice suggested he was amused by this concept.

"It's not though!" Jes was beyond frustrated at this point. "I love you. He should just get over it already."

"Speaking as a big brother, I see his point. I woulda been pissed to learn that one of my friends or partners was messing around with Gaby."

Jes had an idea. "Well, Jay's being a hypocrite then."

"Everyone knows that… the whole thing with Erin…"

"Not Erin." Jes realized that Gaby never told him. "Jay used to sleep with Gaby."

"What?! When?!"

"Back when he was undercover with that Arthur character… at Molly's."

"That son-of-a…"

"Shh." Jes covered his mouth. "Save that anger for the fight."

Antonio narrowed his eyes. "Trying to sabotage the fight?"

"Nope, just trying to even the playing field in the anger department." She kissed his lips gently. "That, and my adopted mother was amazing woman… I don't appreciate where you were headed with that last thought."

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* * *

Everyone arrived at the boxing gym around eight that night. Antonio, Jes and the kids had been there since seven. Antonio had wanted to warm up. Jes was anxious. She'd gone with Antonio to the gym before to watch him spar or train. She'd also watched some of Jay's matches back in the day. They were equally fast and powerful. She was pacing the hallway outside the change rooms when Jay arrived.

"Jes…" His voice was apologetic.

"Jay." Her voice was colder than she had meant for it to be.

He grabbed her arms to keep her from pacing. "I'm sorry. I truly am."

"I wish that for once, just once, things would could according to my plans."

"Jes…"

"No, Jay. I was going to tell you. Your girlfriend fucked that up. Now we're here."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"Whatever."

"I dealt with her."

"Is she here?"

"She is but she's been told to stay far away from you."

"She'd better or she'll be in the ring with me."

Jay hugged her tightly. "This'll be over soon enough and we can move on."

"Are you going to keep objecting to me dating Antonio?"

"Depends on who wins the fight."

Jes glared at him.

"I'm kidding!" Jay exclaimed. "Are you happy with him?"

"Happier than I've been in a long ass time." She smiled. "He respects me, Jay. He understands me, and everything thing I am and stand for. I love him."

"Then, as long as he doesn't hurt you, I'll be okay with it. How, uh… how are the kids doing with all of this?"

"They've been good with it. They actually saw right through us."

"They need someone like you in their life. Someone with a pure and loving heart."

"Then let me be with Antonio. The two of you are putting me in a tight spot tonight."

"You'll be fine, sis." He pinched her cheek. "I gotta get ready. I love you."

"Love you too." She said as he walked into his change room. She had just started pacing again when Gaby appeared with Chief Boden. "Chief? What are you doing here?"

"Gabriela asked me to ref the match." He smiled. "It'll all be fine. I'll make sure they don't kill each other."

"I appreciate that." It did make Jes feel a little more at ease with the whole situation. "I still think they're being childish."

"Maybe." Chief Boden said. "Or they may be just both be alpha males who need to hit each other to resolve their issues."

"Chief, did Gaby explain what that issue is?"

"She did. When it comes to a sister falling in love, things change. Especially when that sister falls in love with her brother's best friend. I know this is hard for you, Jeslyn. I do, but they'll fight, get it outta their system and go back to normal. Trust me."

"I do. Thanks, Chief."

"No problem. I'm gonna go check their wrappings. I'll you ladies after." He headed into Jay's change room.

Gaby faced Jes. "How you doing?"

"I'll be happy when this shit show is all over."

"Don't blame you. Where are the kids?"

"With Jacquie. Kevin's acting as Antonio's coach and Peter said he'd be his cutman."

"Who's doing that for Jay?"

"Al said he'd be cutman and Adam's coaching."

Gaby snorted in laughter. "Adam… coaching? Hmm."

"Not good?"

"Could be better." Gaby took her hand. "Don't worry. Sylvie is here too. They'll both be fine. Bruised, probably, but fine."

"I know. I know." They started walking towards the ring and seating area. "You know they're not wearing head gear right?"

"What?"

"Yeah, they're going full on Rocky style."

"Hmph." Gaby was unimpressed. "Well, maybe they'll knock some sense into their thick skulls."

* * *

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* * *

Almost all of Firehouse 51 and District 21 had shown up. Otis and Cruz were going around taking bets. Gaby tried to stop them, but Jes stepped in. "What are the odds on a tie?"

"Uh, you wanting to just give your money away?" Otis asked.

"No." She replied. "I won't choose sides. How does this work?"

"Winner takes all." Cruz smiled. "If it's a tie, all of the money is yours. Otherwise, you bet on the winner and the round."

"Twenty bucks that this is going to end in a tie."

"Okay." Otis hesitantly took her money. "Gaby?"

"Ten on Antonio after ten rounds." She handed Otis her money. "Come on, Jes. Let's get to our seats."

They were seated close to the ring. Jes' anxiety was kicking back in. Jacquie sat on her left, while Eva, Diego and Gaby were on her right. The lights went down and Chief Boden stepped into the ring.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" He called out, his voice echoing as the crowd went silent. "In the blue corner, we have Antonio Dawson!" He waited for the cheers to die down. "And in the red corner, Jay Halstead." Again, he waited on the cheers. "Now, you are boxing by the Federations regulations. Twelve rounds. Three minutes each. No cheap shots. This gets outta control, and I pull the plug. Got it?" Both men nodded. "Good." They touched gloves, the bell rang and it was on.

The first round started off slow as both competitors gauged their opponent. Antonio landed the most hits as Jay kept dropping his left when he'd throw his right cross. It was one of Jay's weak points and Antonio was going to take full advantage of it. The bell rang. Jay needed to have a cut treated while Antonio was still fine. The rounds continued to fly by. Antonio would take the first three but then Jay picked up on Antonio's weakness. He delivered body blows that were hard for Antonio to block because of his shoulder injuries. By the time they got to the tenth round, they were tied. Antonio had a broken nose and busted lip, while Jay had a variety of small cuts and one eye almost swollen shut. Neither had gotten knocked down past the count of three. They were getting tired, but neither was willing to surrender. Jes was feeling both of their pain. There were a couple times where she'd wished Boden would've ended the match, but it was almost over. Round eleven went to Jay, but Antonio hadn't stayed down, even though Jay's right hook and upper cut combo had sent him reeling. The twelfth round started and they would endure the longest three minutes of their lives. Jay tried to go in for a knockout head shot, while Antonio ducked and weaved. He went in for a rapid sequence of body blows against Jay.

"Give up Tonio." Jay growled through his mouthpiece.

"Never, you hypocrite." Antonio delivered a powerful left cross. "You bitched me out for being in love with your sister all the while you used to sleep with Gaby."

Jay's eyes widened. "How?"

"Doesn't matter. Just know this. This isn't over til I lay you out on the mat."

The bell rang and both men collapsed to the mat. They were exhausted. Chief Boden walked to the centre of the ring. "Ladies and Gentlemen! We have a tie. Now, normally, we'd micro-analyse this to determine a winner. Seeing as these two have seemingly worked through the issues that brought them here, this match is over. Tied. There is no winner. Now, as I understand, someone actually bet this would happen." Otis nodded from the sidelines and Cruz handed the envelope with cash over the ropes to Chief Boden. He couldn't hide his shock when he saw the name on the envelope. "Jeslyn Bellamy, come on up and claim your prize. Three thousand two hundred and fifteen dollars."

Jes timidly climbed into the ring. She stood between her brother and her lover, her cheeks burned as Chief Boden handed her the envelope. "I couldn't pick sides." She said meekly. She looked out into the crowd. "Thank you for this. I'll be putting it towards P2K as a charitable donation!" She turned back to Jay and Antonio. "Are we all good now?" She asked as she put the money in her pocket. They nodded. "Good." She stepped in and slapped both men. The crowd gasped. "That's for acting like teenagers. Now, I'm dating Antonio and you, Jay Halstead, will deal with it. I hate having to choose between the family that took me in and the new family I've made. Don't you EVER do this to me again, because next time… I'll be the one kicking your asses."

The whole crowd burst into laughter. The tension and animosity was gone as Jay and Antonio joined in. Gaby stood up on the bleachers. "Half off drinks at Molly's!" The crowd, wishing to take advantage of the younger Dawson's charity, quickly dispersed. Soon, only Jay, Antonio, Jes and the kids remained.

"No hard feelings?" Antonio asked, wiping the sweat from his face and neck.

Jay shook his head. "No. It's outta my system now."

Eva and Diego helped cut the tape wrapped around their hands. "So… does this mean you're okay with Dad dating Jes?" Eva asked. She didn't want to lose Jes.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it… so long as he treats her right."

"Always." Antonio rubbed his fists.

Jay turned to Jes. "Just curious, sis. Where the hell did you learn to hit like that?"

"Antonio's been teaching Jacquie and I some self-defence."

Jay turned to Antonio. "You taught her that?"

"Hey, she slapped me too!"

"Go shower, so we can celebrate." Jes urged. "I'm happy that this is out in the open now." She hugged both men. "Ugh… yep… it's official. You two definitely need showers."

* * *

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* * *

While Jay and Antonio showered and changed, Jes waited with the kids for Antonio's parents to pick them up. Gaby had arranged it, so that Jes and Antonio had time to figure things out. It wasn't long before Emmanuel and Constanza Dawson arrived.

"Abuela! Abuelo!" The kids ran to hug their grandparents.

"Hijos!" Their grandfather swept them into a tight hug. Both grandparents spoke to their grandchildren in Spanish. After the exchange, they looked up. "You must be Jeslyn." Constanza came forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine, Señora Dawson." Jes extended her hand.

The older woman, instead, hugged her. "I've heard great things about you."

"Oh!" Jes' cheeks turned crimson.

"All good things." Emmanuel came and hugged her as well. "We know all that you've done for Antonio and the children."

"It's… it's nothing. Really." Jes felt like she'd been cornered, but not in a bad way.

"It is something." Constanza squeezed her hand. "The children have told us what you've been doing. It's good to see that Antonio has found someone as kind as you."

"That, and we appreciate that you called." Emmanuel put his hand on Diego's shoulder. "We haven't been able to see our grandchildren since Laura left."

"That's almost a year!" Jes was in shock.

Constanza looked to her grandchildren. "She didn't only want to punish Antonio. She punished our whole familia."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Jes was appalled. This was exactly what her mother had done. "You have a wonderful family. I'll let you spend some time with Eva and Diego, I'm sure they have plenty to share with you."

The kids began going off on the different events of the past three months. Their grandparents laughed. "Okay kids, we will listen to everything. We'd like to see your dad before we go. We'll have all tomorrow to catch up. Your dad promised that now that you're with him, we'll be able to see each other more often than before."

Jes knocked on the locker room door. "Antonio? Your parents would like to see you before they take off with the kids."

"Coming." Antonio came out of the locker room in a pair of sweats and a towel around his neck. "Mami! Papi!" He embraced both his parents.

His mother grabbed his chin and closely examined his face. "Ay, mijo, qué te pasó en la cara?"

Antonio looked over to Jes before answering. "Fue un malentendidito."

His father laughed and patted his back. "Bueno, Ojalá que el otro haya quedao igual de mal."

"Si, Papi. Si." Antonio came and took Jes by the hand. "You've met Jeslyn?"

"Si. Muy bella." His mother smiled. "She's a good woman to have around, Antonio."

"She is. Um, thanks for taking the kids for tonight. Jes and I have some things to talk about and it's easier if we're alone."

"Oh, hijo, we understand." His mother wrapped her arms around her grandchildren. "We missed them. We will gladly take advantage of whatever time we get with them."

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be fine." Diego grinned.

"Oh, I know you will. I'm more worried about the trouble you'll be causing with Abuelo and Abuela."

With a little laughter and a round of hugs, the elder Dawsons took off with their grandchildren while Jes and Antonio patiently waited to Jay to come out of the change room, as Jes was both their rides.

* * *

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* * *

Once the celebration at Molly's concluded, Jes drove Jay home and then headed to Antonio's. Jacquie was at home with Kevin, so Jes didn't want to go there. With the kids with Antonio's parents, his house made the most sense to be quiet, and they could be alone.

As Jes pulled into the driveway, Antonio asked. "Jes, would you consider… uh… um… would you like to…"

"Antonio, just say it. There's nothing you can say or ask that'll chase me away. Especially after tonight's shenanigans."

"I think we should live together, as a family."

"Um, wow… uh… did my brother give you a concussion?"

"No, Jes, I'm serious. We've been hiding and secretly staying at one another's houses. Our relationship is out in the open now." He paused. "You don't have to answer right away. I… I just wanted to put it out there. If you're not ready…"

"No, Antonio. No. That's… It's not that I'm not ready." Jes interrupted him. "I love waking up next to you every morning. I enjoy our meals together and the time we spend with the kids. I would love to share a home with you. As a family." She squeezed his hand. "It's just, which house? What about Jacquie? It's something that we all have to figure before we go through with anything."

"You're very right. You always are."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow. We can discuss it with Jacquie too."

"What about Jay?" Antonio had to ask.

"He doesn't get a say. He basically made us live together once already. I think it's time he stops putting his foot in his mouth."

Antonio laughed. "You're sassy tonight, babe. I like it."

They went into the house. Jes grabbed ice and Advil while Antonio went to the bedroom. When she got in the room, he was laying on the bed wearing nothing. She could see the bruises her brother had left on his body. She handed him the Advil and some water. Once he had taken them, she gently placed the ice over his nose and eyes.

"My brother sure did a number on you." She gently caressed the bruises covering his torso. "Do they hurt?"

"They're tender. Just don't go jabbing at 'em and we'll be fine."

"How's the nose?"

"That hurts. I will most likely look like a raccoon come tomorrow morning."

"Very possible." She got up and began to strip down.

He admired her as she took off her make-up. She saw him staring. "I'm sorry." He apologized.

She turned back to face him. "For what?"

"Putting you through that tonight."

Jes threw away her facial wipe and got into bed. "It's done. Just promise me that it'll never happen again."

"I promise." He took her hand and pulled her gently towards him. "I love you."

"I love you too." She gently kissed his lips before setting to kissing each bruise on his body. "Feel better."

"Very much. Let's get some sleep." He reached over and turned off the lamp, pitching the room into darkness. For the first time in their time together, they weren't afraid of getting caught together the next morning.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, there we have it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**_ _ **All the best. Until next time!**_


	13. Stand By Me

_**A/N: Welcome to Ch. 12! Now to see what happens after the big fight… This will catch up to « Assignment of the Year » from Season 2. Read and review! Love always! Nicole**_

* * *

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* * *

 **2 weeks after the match…**

"Yeah. Uh huh." Antonio was pacing the break room at work. Asher had called and was still going on about the plans for Friday. "Got it. I'll pick you guys up at eight." He ended the call. "Finally." He left the break room to go collect his things. The work environment was back to normal and he and Jes were finally going to sit down with Jacquie to discuss their decision with housing. Jes had agreed to move in with him. He sighed. While Jay was perfectly fine with them dating, Antonio wasn't sure he'd be thrilled about them living together. He'd told Jes that he was going to tell Jay about the plan.

"I don't want to have another boxing match because we kept this a secret." He had argued.

Jes hadn't been able to counter that argument.

He saw Jay enter the locker room. He took a deep breath and headed in after him. "Hey, Jay."

"Hey, Antonio."

"Can we talk?" Antonio prayed this wouldn't blow up in his face. "It's about Jes."

Jay froze, then turned. "You do something to hurt her?"

"No! God, no!" Antonio answered. "I ever hurt her, you have my permission to shoot me with my own gun."

"I'll hold you to that." Jay went back to pulling stuff from his locker. "What's up?"

"Uh, I don't want any more secrets, so… I figured I'd tell you first. Jes is moving in with me."

Jay closed his locker. He just stared at Antonio. "Isn't that a little soon? You've only been together three months."

"Jay, come on. She's a grown woman." Antonio straddled the bench.

"She just bought her place. What about that?"

"We're sitting down tonight to hash out all the details."

Jay sat across from him. "The kids?"

"On board."

"Does Laura know?"

Antonio glared at him. "You're her handler. Has she told you anything?"

Jay shook his head. "No."

"Good. She wants to talk to the kids, but they're still pissed at her. My conversations with her are short and to the point." Antonio stretched his neck. "She's not going to ruin what I have with your sister. Nothing will."

"Fair enough." Jay sighed. "If she's happy, then I'm good."

"Thanks, man." Antonio got up to leave.

"Antonio."

He froze.

"She loves you. I was blind not to see that."

"Jay, just know… I'll do right be her. Always."

"Antonio, usually… traditionally is more like it… people get married before they live together."

"Well, it's not the 1950s and Jes and I aren't your 'traditional' couple."

Jay thought about that. "Yeah. Definitely not traditional at all." He extended his hand. "Good luck tonight."

"Uh, thanks?" Antonio cocked his head to the side. "Why do I need luck again?"

"Have you ever tried to get Jacquie and Jes to agree on something?"

"No."

"Then, take the luck, bro… you'll need it."

* * *

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* * *

Jes was pacing in the living room. She hadn't mentioned anything to Jacquie yet. While Jes loved having Jacquie as her roommate, she wanted the family she had when she was with Antonio. She'd come up with a great plan for the house so that Jacquie wouldn't have to stress. Jes was wishing Antonio would hurry up and get there. Her phone dinged. It was an iMessage from Antonio.

- _On way. Kevin with me._

She replied. _–Good. Hurry plz… anxiety killing me._

- _Don't stress babe. It'll be fine. Breathe ;)_

She laughed and took his advice. She needed to breathe. With Kevin coming, it meant that she would be able to put her full plan into action tonight. She knew that Kevin's neighbourhood wasn't the safest. Jacquie had mentioned that more than once when she came back from spending time with him. She also knew that Vinessa would need that safer environment to keep blossoming. Her proposition would satisfy everyone. Or at least she hoped it would.

"Hey, what ya doing?" Jacquie asked, causing Jes to squeal.

"Don't do that!" Jes exclaimed. "I don't need a heartattack."

"Sorry." Jacquie said sheepishly. "What's up?"

"Not much. Antonio and Kevin are on their way."

"Yeah. Kevin called. Said you and Antonio have news."

Jes gulped. "Uh, yeah."

Jacquie grabbed her hand. "I don't see a ring."

"We haven't talked about that yet."

"Uh huh." Jacquie looked around. "Then what's the news."

"You'll have to wait for them to get here." The doorbell rang. "You're in luck. They're here." Jes bolted for the door. Her jaw dropped when she opened it. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Jeslyn Bellamy." Laura said.

"You found her. What do you want with me?" Now Jes was deciding between slamming the door in her face and punching her. She wished Antonio would hurry up. He could deal with this. She knew that Laura didn't know Antonio was in a new relationship. No one had spoken to her since her arrest and conversion to CI.

"My name is Laura…"

"I know who you are. You're Antonio's ex… Eva and Diego's mom."

"Uh, yeah. Are they here?"

"Antonio or the kids?"

"Either… Both."

"Neither. Look, I know that you can't have contact with the kids unless Antonio's around and ONLY if they want to talk to you."

"You've been told… well…"

"Look, I don't judge, mainly because I know that everyone's circumstances are different. I run P2K. I see all kinds of things, but I also know that I have to follow the law. Law states that even if the kids were here, I couldn't tell you… much less let you see them."

Laura hung her head. "Thanks… for taking care of their studies. I know that… you've done a lot to keep them on track with school."

"It's what my job is." Jes saw Antonio's truck pull up. "If you want to talk to Antonio… he's just pulling up. I have to go tend to some planning." She closed the door. She didn't want to have to deal with this. She stomped back to the living room.

Jacquie was teasing Minion with string but stopped the instant Jes stepped in the room. "Who was at the door?"

"Laura."

"What the fuck is she doing here?!" Jacquie was about to bolt to the door to punch Laura's lights out.

Jes put her arms out to stop her. "Antonio and Kevin just pulled up. They'll deal with her."

"They better. That bitch deserves to be knocked on her ass for what she's done to those kids."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio had been lost in conversation when he initially pulled up to Jes and Jacquie's. His conversation ended the instant he realized that Laura was currently at Jes' door. The kids weren't there. They had asked to spend time with their grandparents for a project. Antonio wasn't about to deny them that. He jammed in the breaks when he saw that Jes was on the other side of the door. "Stay here." He told Kevin.

"Like hell I am, you need back up." Kevin jumped out of the truck.

Antonio killed the engine and ran to meet Laura, who was approaching. "What are you doing here, Laura?"

"I want to see the kids." She stated.

"You forgot Voight's deal already?"

"No." She sighed. "I miss them. It's not fair that you're keeping them from me."

"I'm keeping them from you?" Antonio snorted. "Right. You ever think that our kids aren't stupid and want nothing to do with you and your moronic way of life?"

"No child is going to say they don't want to see their mom."

"Haha." Kevin laughed. "You obviously know nothing about your kids."

Laura glared at Kevin. "You have nothing to say here. Butt out."

"Actually, as Antonio's partner… I do have a say. I can call Voight, tell him your harassing Antonio and the kids… and their tutor. How the fuck did you even know where she lived?"

Antonio also wanted that answer. "Well?"

"I… I followed them one day. Saw her bring them here after school."

"So now you're stalking them?" Antonio reached for his phone.

"No. Antonio, please." She pleaded. "I want to see my children. I can't be denied that."

"The deal you made with Voight says you can and will be denied that." Antonio growled. "The kids don't want you around. Now you're gonna get in your car and leave. I don't ever want you around here. Don't go to their school. Don't talk to Jes, or anyone else. You do… I call Voight, and it's all over."

Laura said nothing. She spun on her heel and left.

Antonio turned to Kevin. "Call Jay. They need to know about this. I need to check on Jes."

Kevin nodded and dialled Halstead's cell.

Antonio ran into the house. "Jes!"

"She's in the living room." Jacquie said as she met up with him. "She's crying and holding the cat. You may want to calm her down. Laura showing up really messed with her head."

Antonio groaned. "Oh… Kevin better get a hold of Halstead or Voight. She needs a reminder of who she actually works for." He ran to the living room to see a heart wrenching sight. Jes was on the floor, rocking back and forth, whispering to Minion in French. Tears were streaming down her face. "Jes." He whispered.

She didn't budge. She heard him, but she wasn't moving. Antonio sat on the floor next to her and tried to take the cat away from her. Minion protested and Jes clung onto her even tighter.

"Jes, baby." He whispered. "Talk to me."

"I can't." She finally said. "I can't."

"She had no right to be here."

"No shit!" She exclaimed. Minion, terrified, scurried from her grasp and up the stairs. "How did she know where I live? If she can find me… we're not safe…" She began to hyperventilate.

"No. No baby, I won't let her do anything. I promise."

"Why can't she follow the agreement?"

"I don't know, love. Kevin's calling your brother right now. Voight and Jay will deal with her. I won't let her or anyone else come between you and I or our family." He pulled her tightly to him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. You didn't need that."

She sniffled. "I'm a wreck. This should really not be affecting me this way. She's your ex."

"Exactly. She's my past… you, Jes… you're my future. I'm not letting that change." He kissed her forehead. "Have you talked to Jacquie yet?"

She shook her head. "I was waiting for you."

"Well, we should probably do that before we forget."

"Did you tell Jay?"

"Mhmm. He wasn't thrilled at first, but he said as long as you're happy and you've got a plan, he's okay with it."

"That's a relief. One down, one to go." He kissed her lightly. "Want to get them in here?" Once Jes nodded, he called. "Hey, Kev! Jacquie! Wanna join us in the living room?"

"Coming!" Kevin called back.

Antonio helped Jes off the floor and they sat on the oversized chair. She snuggled into shoulder. Being in his arms like this made any fear or anxiety she had been feeling disappear. This feeling was one of the main reasons she wanted to move in with him. He had already gotten rid of anything that reminded him of Laura and replaced it. He had actually taken her shopping the previous week to get what she felt she'd need for the house to become her home. She didn't want to take everything from her house, as she was going to offer it to Jacquie with everything that was already there. This way, Jacquie wouldn't have to start from scratch. Jacquie ran into the living room, breathless. Kevin was right on her heels.

"Stop!" She squealed.

"What the hell is he doing?" Jes inquired.

"I found out she's ticklish in her ribs."

"Ah." Jes smiled. "You ever want to know where else she's ticklish, let me know."

"Traitor!" Jacquie said. "I wouldn't tell Antonio."

"You don't have to." Antonio grinned. "I found 'em already."

"Drat…" Jacquie stuck her tongue out. "So what is so important that Kevin and I both have to be here?"

"Um, Antonio and I have something to tell you guys… and to make an offer."

Jacquie was intrigued. "Go on."

"I asked Jes to move in with me a couple weeks back. She said yes."

"That's awesome, man! Congrats!" Kevin high-fived Antonio and hugged Jes. "Right babe?"

Jacquie thought about it. It was good for Jes. Antonio genuinely loved her, so she knew she wouldn't have to protect Jes anymore, but at the same time it was bittersweet. "Yeah." She was choked up.

"Hey, Jacquie… don't cry. It's not like I'll never see you again. I'll just be a few minutes away."

"What about the house?" Jacquie wiped away a stray tear.

"That's where the offer comes in. Antonio has everything we'd ever need at his house. I don't want to resell this place or have to pack up everything. I'd like to rent you the house… sort of a rent to buy deal. You keep everything that's here, minus my essentials."

"Jes, that's too much." Jacquie gasped.

"No, Jacquie. It's not enough for everything that you've done for me since I was 17. You've been my guardian angel for almost a decade. I think it's about time you're rewarded for it."

"I can't accept this Jes. This was your money… your life…"

"Jacquie, I owe you more than I can ever repay you. You can make payments based on what you can… the house will stay in my name until you have enough to cover a 'down payment' then I transfer the title to your name." Jes got off Antonio's lap and ran to hug her best friend. "You've saved my life, literally, more times than I can count. You're everything to me. You're the sister I never had. I wouldn't change any of that for the world."

Jacquie nodded. "Thank you."

Kevin came behind Jacquie and rubbed her shoulders. "What's all this got to do with me?"

"Well, Kev… I know that you want the very best for Vinessa… and I know you've been talking about potentially moving because it isn't safe anymore in your neighbourhood… plus Jes tells me you've been spending a lot of time with Vinessa here… Jes and I think that if you and Jacquie are okay with it… that you guys live together here. It would be cost effective, you'd be together and Vinessa would be a lot safer." Antonio replied. "If you're spending all this time with Jacquie anyhow, may as well do it from within the same house."

Jacquie turned to Kevin. She had been thinking about maybe talking to him about moving in together at some point. "What do you think?"

Kevin was speechless. While he knew he cared deeply for Jacquie, they hadn't talked about this type of thing yet. Vinessa loved Jacquie and asked him all the time when they'd make things official. It seemed that kids were more observant than adults when it came to relationships. He came to a conclusion. "Hey, guys, can I talk to Jacquie alone for a second?"

Jes nodded and grabbed Antonio's hand. "Let's make a snack."

Kevin waited for them to leave. Once they were gone he took Jacquie's hand and led her to the sofa. "Jacquie… I need to tell you something before we talk about this."

"Okay?" She was worried about what he was about to say.

"I love you, Jacquie Lennox. I've been trying to find a way to say it the last couple weeks, but I didn't know how."

"I love you, Kevin. I have for the last couple months. I didn't want to scare you off."

"I'm not going anywhere, babe. Vinessa keeps asking if I've told you or not… I guess I can finally tell her I have."

Jacquie pulled him closer and kissed him. "What do you think of Jes and Antonio's offer?"

"It's a great offer. I'm game if you are."

Jacquie smiled. "I am. It would be safer for Vinessa, and we'd save on bills… and mileage… and we'd be able to be together all the time instead of planning it around both our lives."

"I agree." He kissed her passionately. "No more hiding either."

"Very true. What about your place… your stuff?"

"Move what I need, sell what I don't. My house is paid off. I could rent it out… make money on the side."

"Works for me, Officer Atwater." She said seductively.

"Taking a page from Jes' playbook?"

"Maybe."

"Don't make me tickle you, woman. Don't forget, you won't be able to hide much longer."

She squealed as he pushed her to the couch and tickled her. She eventually succumbed as he kissed her.

"Ahem." Jes coughed from the doorway. "Can you guys at least wait until I've moved out before going crazy in every room of the house?"

"Sorry Jes." Kevin smiled. "Got a little carried away."

"Uh huh." Jes smiled. "Did you finally tell him?"

Jacquie nodded. "He said it first."

"How did she know?"

"She's like my sister."

Jes snorted. "'She' is still here. 'She' can hear you quite well. Hey Jacquie, I have one request?"

"Shoot."

"Let me keep a key. You never know when I'll need you as my guardian angel again."

"That is a no brainer. I'll always be here for you… just maybe call before coming… don't want you to… ya know."

"I really don't need to see any of that… so yeah, I'll call."

* * *

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* * *

 **Friday morning…**

Jes had finished packing most of her essential belongings. They had already moved her clothes over, now they had to grab the last few boxes. Jay and Gaby had come to help. By this point, Gaby and Matt had taken a break from their engagement, so they had also helped move her stuff into Sylvie's new apartment. Antonio had agreed to spend the last night at Jes' with her. He was in the shower. "Hey Antonio?" She asked, poking her head into the bathroom.

"Yeah, babe?"

"How long is that gig tonight?"

"Hopefully not long." He poked his head out of the shower. "Why?"

"It's the first night I'll be in our home together, just wanted to know if you'll be home."

"You'll be fine. The kids actually have something planned for you."

"Oh. Okay." She smiled. "You're steaming up my bathroom. Hurry up in there."

"We'd both be done if you had joined me."

"No, we'd still be in there and we wouldn't have time to go home, our home… before you have to pick up Asher and his bimbo."

"Layla's not that bad."

"She tried making a move on you while her husband was playing poker."

Antonio thought back to that night. Layla had asked if he played poker. He had responded only for Swedish Fish with his son. Then she'd started touching his knee. That was the line. He was supposed to protect her, not let her have her way with him. Asher had come out at that point and accused him of trying to make a move on her. Antonio hadn't argued. No way Asher would believe the hired help over his wife. As soon as he'd come home to Jes that night, he told her everything. She had been livid but calmed down when Antonio told her that he had told Layla that he was loyal. That had pissed her off. "She won't be doing that again."

"Better not, or else."

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in her. I just do this so we have extra money to do special things together."

"Okay. Now hurry up." She left the bathroom and went to move the last box from her office to the main entryway of the house.

"All done?" Jacquie asked. "You forgetting anything?"

"Yep and no… I'm pretty sure I got everything."

"You sure?"

"What did I forget, Jacquie?"

Jacquie pointed to Minion who was rubbing up against the box that Jes had just put down. "Her."

"Shit!" Jes shook her head. "How can I forget her?"

"Good question." Jacquie laughed. "I packed her food, toys and stuff like that. You just need to get her into her carrier."

"That's literally herding cats."

"She's your furball. I'll get one of my own soon enough."

Jes took off after Minion. "Come here Minion. Time to go byebyes. Minion! Come back here you little shit!" Jes chased after Minion. Jacquie couldn't help but laugh as her best friend made an absolute fool of herself. "Little shit! Minion! Câlice! Minion, vient ici! Minion!"

Antonio came down the stairs. "What's all the racket about? What the fuck is she doing?"

"Well, you get Jes to move in with you, you also get her furry companion… who currently doesn't want to get in her carrier."

"Ah." He laughed as he watched Jes dive under the table. "So, Minion doesn't want to leave?"

"Something like that." Jacquie handed him a bag. "If she had used these… she wouldn't be having so many issues."

He looked at the bag. "Treats?"

Minion froze. Her ears twitched and she ran straight to Antonio. "Prrrr."

"Gotcha, you little shit!" Jes grabbed Minion into her arms. "How'd you do that?"

Antonio shook the bag of cat treats. "Jacquie gave 'em to me."

Jes glared at Jacquie. "You couldn't have given those to me earlier?"

Jacquie shook her head. "Hell no! You chasing the fuzz bucket, that was priceless!"

Minion pawed at the bag. "Breow. Meow." It was as if she was saying. "Hey, I'm here… give me my treat."

Antonio reached in the bag and held out a treat. "Here fuzzball."

Minion sniffed the treat before eating it right out of his hand. Once she was done, she looked around for another one.

"Uh uh. Little shit." Jes muttered. "You're going in your carrier."

Antonio took another treat and made Minion sniff it.

"What are you doing?"

"Just watch." He answered. He moved the treat and Minion followed it intently. He tossed the treat into her carrier and Minion bolted after it. He closed the door behind her.

"Sneaky." Jes kissed him. "I guess, we're all ready now."

"I'm gonna miss you." Jacquie hugged Jes tightly.

"I'm not disappearing forever. You'll be seeing me everyday at P2K."

"Still." She turned to Antonio. "Take good care of her."

"I will." Antonio hugged her. "She's in good hands."

"I know." Jacquie sighed. "I've been watching out for her forever, or at least it seems that way. She's never trusted anyone but me with her secret before. She doesn't even trust Jay, her own brother with that secret."

"Does her other brother, Will know?"

"You know Will?"

"Jay's mentioned him a couple times. They're not on the best of speaking terms, something that happened when Jay's mom was sick."

Jacquie nodded. "Yeah. Um, Jes can explain it better than me, but I doubt Will even knows. Jes and Will never saw eye to eye."

"Hmm."

"She loves you. A lot. She'll fill you in on all of this. You have your whole lives ahead of you."

"Are you hinting at something, Miss Lennox?"

"Are you denying that you don't want to put a ring on her finger some day?"

"No, just wasn't sure that I was that obvious."

"She'll say yes. Just so you know."

"I love her, Jacquie. Don't worry about us. Focus on your new living situation with Kevin and Vinessa. When are they moving in?"

"Next weekend. He needs to finish packing."

"It'll be a good thing for you guys. Just focus on that."

Jacquie nodded. "Go, be with the kids. Get Jes settled in."

"You mean before you break down completely?" Jes reappeared by Antonio's side.

"That too." The girls hugged one last time.

Jes picked up Minion's carrier while Antonio carried the remaining boxes to the truck.

* * *

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* * *

As soon as they arrived home, the kids were waiting on the front porch with signs that read 'Welcome home, Jes!'.

"Awe! That's so sweet!" Jes exclaimed.

"They're so happy that you're moving in."

"We're home, Minion." She whispered to the carrier.

"Reow." The cat had not enjoyed the ride over. "Rowr!"

"Let's get inside." Antonio laughed. "She isn't a big fan of being in the car, is she?"

"No cat is." Jes retorted. She picked up the carrier and made her way to the house. Diego ran to the steps to meet her. "Hey, Diego."

"Jes!" He hugged her tightly.

"Hi." She laughed. "How're you doing?"

"Better." He grinned. "You're here now."

"How do I make things better?"

"You cook way better than Dad, for one thing."

Jes laughed. Antonio had missed the exchange, walked up to them with the last of Jes' boxes. "What's so funny?"

"Diego says you've been starving them because of your horrible cooking skills."

"I'm not that bad."

"Jes could teach you a thing or two." Eva called from the deck.

"Traitors." Antonio grumbled.

"You still love us." Jes gave him a peck on the cheek. "Let's go inside, we can all make lunch together."

They put away the last of the boxes and let Minion out of her carrier. She ran around the house to reorient herself. They went into the kitchen for lunch. Jes set about to making crispy chicken for wraps. She showed Antonio how to make homemade chicken strips. Diego was assigned the duty of setting the table while Eva put her knife skills to work prepping veggies and a fresh salsa. Soon they were laughing and joking. Antonio couldn't remember the last time his family had been able to just enjoy their time together. Laura had never had the time or she didn't want to make the time. The kids got a particularly good laugh when Antonio knocked over the flour, covering not only himself but everything in a five foot radius.

"Holy crap!" He coughed. "What's so funny?"

"Hi there, Casper." Jes brushed away some of the flour from his face. "You're supposed to lightly coat the chicken, not cover the entire kitchen in flour."

Antonio couldn't resist. He picked up a handful of flour and sprinkled it in Jes' hair. That was the starting point in a minor food fight that would last the duration of the chicken's cook time. The oven timer sounded, quickly stopping everyone in their tracks. "Let's clean this up so we can eat." He chuckled.

It was at that moment that Gaby walked in. "Hey gu… What the hell happened in here?"

"Uh…" Antonio looked at the kids. "Long story."

"Okay, then." Gaby shook her head. "You got plans tonight?"

"Yeah. I'm doing that security gig tonight."

"I thought you had quit that?"

"Nope. Money's helping a lot."

"Didn't Jes just finish moving in here?"

"Gaby…" His tone suggested that she should back off.

"It's fine Gaby." Jes piped up. "I'd like a night to spend with the kids. I want to get to know them better."

"Okay." Gaby sighed. "Just a suggestion, Antonio… quit this security thing… especially for this Asher… I've got a bad feeling about him."

"After tonight." He hugged his sister. "Stop worrying about me so much."

"That's my job." She reminded him.

"Actually, I think it's my job now." Jes replied.

"She's got a point Gaby." Antonio agreed. "Just chill, okay? Everything will be fine."

"I still have a bad feeling about this."

"You're starting to sound like mom." Antonio reminded her.

"Okay, okay. I'll drop it. I was thinking we could have a family meal now that this whole thing is behind you." Gaby smiled. "Plus Javier and company will be down this weekend."

"You want me to submit Jes to the whole family? This soon?"

"Why do you make it sound like Gaby is proposing the most insane situation ever?" Jes questioned.

"Because, that's exactly what it is!" Antonio shook his head. "I don't want Jes to run away from me."

"I doubt your family is that terrifying, Antonio."

"Have you ever been in a room with a whole load of Dominicans?"

"More than you and your sister, no. But I did meet some of Jacquie's family."

"Her family isn't all Dominican." Antonio reminded her.

Jes nodded. "No, but the majority of the family who came to visit her was her mom's side and she is Dominican. They're loud but nothing I can't handle."

"She's up for it." Gaby smiled. "I'll call with the details. I've gotta go see Mom now."

"That's why you came over here!" Antonio exclaimed. "You sneaky…"

"Ah, stop right there. She's still your sister."

"Alright. If it'll make Mom and Dad happy, we'll have a family meal."

"Can I propose something?"

Gaby and Antonio froze. "Uh…"

"Let me cook." Jes smiled. "Please, I know that food is an important part of any culture."

"You wanna risk that?" Gaby smiled. "Antonio and me, that's one thing… the whole family… they can be picky."

"You can help me. Look, I'm here to stay… I may as well make a good impression."

Antonio looked to Gaby. "Let her do it. You can help her out if she needs it. We'll host it here."

"You're the boss." Gaby smiled. "Just make sure it's clean. Mom will have a fit if she doesn't have a pristine house to host dinner in."

"Yes, Gaby. I know. I remember the last time you hosted, and Severide had had a party the night before."

"Don't!... Don't remind me." Gaby groaned. "She still reminds me about it."

"You go tell Mom that we're going to have a great night, and stop worrying so much. You'll get grey hair."

"I'll call you later." Gaby hugged Antonio and Jes before heading out.

Jes turned back to Antonio. "We should probably eat."

"Sounds like a plan." He called the kids back to the kitchen. "Let's eat lunch and then we'll clean up this up."

Once lunch was done and the disaster that had been the kitchen was tidied, Antonio had the kids meet them in the living room. "So, I've got one last gig for the security thing tonight. Then I'm not taking them anymore. I need to focus on my family, all of it."

"Will you be gone long?" Eva asked.

"I'm not sure Eva. It depends on what he and his wife have planned for tonight."

"So don't wait up?"

"Exactly." Antonio kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry."

Eva rolled her eyes.

"Okay, seriously… all the women in my life do that." Antonio shook his head. "I'm going to be fine."

"Dad, I think it's more than just the women." Diego commented. "We just want you home in one piece… not looking like Swiss cheese."

"Okay, I get it." He ruffled Diego's hair. "Just listen to Jes and you'll be seeing me first thing tomorrow morning. I'm gonna go have a nap so I can be awake tonight, can you two help Jes get settled in."

"Sure thing, Dad."

He hugged both kids and kissed Jes. "I know this isn't what you probably had in mind when I asked you to move in."

Jes put her finger to his lips. "It's fine. It's part of the package. Just promise me you'll be safe and we'll be all good."

"I promise." He kissed her, pulling her tightly to him. "I can't wait to see what other adventures we can have now."

"Many, I can imagine." She kissed his cheek. "Go, rest. If you fall asleep on the job, you ain't getting paid."

He laughed as he headed off to their bedroom. He knew that tonight was the last night he was going to do private security for Asher Roslyn.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio got up around 5 and showered and got dressed. He was required to wear a suit on this gig. He was tying his tie when Jes came into the bedroom. "Hey."

"Hey. Do you have to be this dashing to do security?" She asked as she helped straighten his tie and collar.

"Worried?"

"She's already tried to dig her claws into you." She reminded him.

"You don't have to worry about Layla." He kissed her. "I promise you. Last night is tonight. I'm not going to keep doing this. I want us to be able to be a real family. That means spending time with you, and the kids. I don't want you to be here alone with the kids all the time."

"You're very thoughtful."

"I want this chapter in my life to be the best chapter." He held her. "I love you, Jeslyn. This is our time. My career takes me away often enough, I don't want a side thing to take me away even more." Part of him wanted to talk marriage and maybe adopting another child with her, but he knew he didn't have time right now.

"Do you have time to eat before you head out?"

He checked his watch. "Yeah, if it's quick."

"It's already cooked. Just waiting for you."

"Is that what you and the kids were up to while I was napping?"

"That and more, but I wanted to make sure you had something to eat."

"You sound like my Mom." He kissed her. "You are a great mom..."

"I don't have…"

"You are the mother figure to my children… you are a mother figure to every kid that walks through the doors of P2K… you care about me and the whole team like a mom… Whether or not you have your own kids… you have that amazing maternal instinct."

A tear slid down her cheek. "You have no idea what that means to me."

He wiped it away. "I can guess. What's for supper?"

"I made stir fry."

"Sounds delicious."

They headed, hand in hand, to the kitchen. The kids had set everything and were waiting. Antonio was taken back at the sight.

"Dad, you okay?" Eva asked.

"Yeah." He whispered. "I missed this. I've missed this so much. I'm just so happy that we can be a real family again."

"We love you, Daddy." Eva ran to her father and wrapped her arms around him and Jes. Diego followed.

"I love you too. So much." Antonio just held on. This felt perfect. "Let's eat. I promise you, tonight is definitely the last night I'm doing private security."

They sat down and Jes quickly said a quick prayer. Diego jumped in before they started eating. "And Thank You for bringing Jes into our lives and bringing our family back together."

"AMEN!" Everyone answered.

They ate and talked about their plans for the weekend. Now that they had the time for this, it made more sense for them to make plans. It was almost 7. "I've got to get going guys." Antonio stood up from the table. "I'm not sure how long I'll be out, but I'll be home as soon as I can."

Jes kissed him. "I'm going start cleaning up. Be safe out there, my love."

"I will. I'll call or text when I can. Make sure these two don't go to bed too late."

"We'll be fine." She kissed him one last time. "Go, this way… you can come home sooner."

The kids walked their dad to the door. "Hey, Dad, got a question."

"Shoot, Diego."

"Are you gonna ask Jes to marry you?"

"Isn't that a little soon?" Antonio asked in return.

"You love each other, so why not?"

"We'll talk about it." Antonio grabbed his jacket from the closet.

"Hey, Dad?" Eva helped him with the jacket.

"Yes, baby girl?"

"Can we call Jes… mom?"

Antonio froze. "Sweety… I … I think that's something you'd have to ask her… What about your mom?"

"She abandoned us." Eva stated.

"If you want to call Jes 'mom', you have to ask her. To me, it doesn't matter what name you use for her. As long as you treat her with respect and we're a family, that's all that matters."

"Thanks Dad." Eva hugged her father. "Be safe out there, please?"

"I will be. Listen to Jes. I'll be home soon enough." He kissed her forehead and hugged Diego. "Take care of your sister and Jes."

"Promise Dad."

Antonio took his keys and headed out. "Lock the door and set the alarm." He was off to his truck.

Diego did as he was asked and they went to help Jes clean up the table so they could work on the project they had started.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was pacing outside the 'Red Bridge' when his phone began to ring. "Hello?"

"Antonio." Laura's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I… I want out."

"Out of what exactly?"

"This. I can't do it."

"You have to."

"I can't. They know someone's snooping around."

"Then don't make it so fucking obvious."

"Can't you do something?"

"I worked two fucking jobs to pay for a house I used to pray that you and the kids would come back to. You walked away from it all. It's done. All the documents are legally binding."

"So I'll never see Eva and Diego again?"

"Ha! No. They told me again, tonight… they want nothing to do with you."

"I fucked up."

"Damn straight you did! Our children didn't deserve that. You don't deserve to be called their mother. All you deserve is to solve this case for Voight and get the fuck out of Chicago."

"Where did we go wrong?"

"Laura, **we** didn't go wrong… you went… you up and left because you refused to accept the risks of my job anymore."

"Antonio, I wasn't going to be a cop's widow… raising kids on the pity of others."

"I'm not dead."

"You're not retired either."

"You think that if something happens, you'll get the kids back?" He laughed. "That's been taken care of. My will has been changed, and if you're planning on having me offed just so you can try and get them back, you have another thing coming."

"I wouldn't threaten you, Antonio. I know you'd call Voight in a heartbeat. I just want my life back."

"You threw your life away when you walked out. You treated me like a part time dad, when you know that wasn't true." He turned around when he heard Asher and Layla's voices.

"Asher, just come back inside."

"You don't make a fool of me."

"You did that all on your own, _sweetheart_." Layla hissed.

"Get in the car."

"No, I'm going back inside… and Antonio's coming with me."

Antonio backed away. He wanted nothing to do with her. He just wanted out of here. Asher called her a whore and said. "Leave her ass."

Layla stormed back into the "Red Bridge" and Antonio chased after Asher. While they were driving Asher told him how Layla had just been a cocktail waitress when they had met. He then asked Antonio if he was married.

"Just got divorced."

"Congratulations. Can you believe it, she made me want to smoke again."

Antonio shook his head. "When I signed on, you made me promise that if you ever asked me to stop for smokes to not do it."

"Who are you? Jimminy Cricket? Pull over and get me a pack of smokes."

Antonio sighed and pulled into the gas station. He went in and bought a pack of Reds. When he got back in the SUV, he tossed the pack back to Asher. "I don't know what brand you smoke, and I really don't care." He went to do up his seatbelt. "Hey, you pass out on me?" He tried shaking Asher to wake up. When there was no reaction, Antonio got out and went to the back passenger door. He saw blood seeping down his neck and his shirt had been ripped open. He looked down and saw the floor safe was open, and it was empty. He checked for Asher's pulse and couldn't find it. He slammed the door closed and called it in. This wasn't how he had planned on quitting the private security business.

Voight sent him home and made him promise to not talk to Jes about this. They needed to know what the FOP rep was going to say. Antonio got a quick change of clothes from the District and headed home. He got home and saw everyone was asleep. He threw his suit in a bag to be dealt with later and went to bed. He pulled the blankets around him and pulled Jes close. He needed to feel her against him. He needed to know that something good was still here for him. He prayed that Voight and Intelligence could get this mess sorted out before he got kicked from the force.

* * *

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* * *

The next morning he arrived early and headed straight for Voight's office. When Ed,the FOP arrived, it was clear that Antonio's job as a cop truly was on the line. Even if he didn't murder Asher, he was working, unknowingly, for a felonious diamond dealer. Cops who interact with felons lose their jobs. When Ed left, Voight guaranteed him they'd save Antonio's job and get to the bottom of it. Antonio went back to his desk to sort through the whole mess. Nadia appeared next to him.

"Antonio?"

"Yeah, Nadia?"

"Jes is on the phone."

Antonio looked to Jay, who shook his head. "Tell her I'll call her back."

Nadia nodded. "Yeah."

The day went on and they were working every lead. Antonio and Voight had a strong feeling that Layla was the reason behind Asher's murder. She, however, had thought it all out. She made sure that Antonio had been a witness to her being nowhere near the crime scene. Jay and Erin had gone to the "Red Bridge" under cover to find out who the guy who had tried to pawn the diamonds off was. It was suspected that he worked at the club. They had tried to go through all the legal channels, but Layla had major players as her attorneys so they sent Erin and Jay in, to try and get some information. Antonio only had one other day left to put this to bed, or else… it was his badge.

"Tonio." Voight walked up to his desk. "What's eating you?"

"I hate not telling Jes."

"She could become a target."

"IA wants to look into me, they can… all they'll find is a cop who's worked his ass off to keep a roof over his family's head and stayed on the straight and narrow. No matter how challenging that's been."

"Give her a call." Voight nodded. "Just not too many details."

"Thanks, Sarge." Antonio got up and ran to the break room. He saw Al typing up paperwork. "Do I want to know what you're doing?"

"Probably not." Al answered. "You're allergic to shellfish, right?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah."

Al went back to typing.

"So, you and Meredith, you're done?"

"Not really… she wants me to move back into the house." Al looked to him. "We're still trying to figure it all out."

"You know trust me on this one, I know what it's like to come home to a family… and I know what it's like to come home to an empty house. The first ones better."

Adam interrupted them. "I found something in Asher's will."

* * *

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* * *

Once they called it a day, Antonio booked it home. He needed to talk to Jes. He called his mother. "Mami?"

"Si, Antonio?"

"Can you take the kids tonight?"

"Of course, love. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong?"

"I'm your mother, Antonio. I can tell when you're lying."

"Bad case… I just need to talk to Jes… without the kids hearing about it."

"Of course, we'll go get them right away."

When Antonio arrived home, his parents pulled up right behind him. They quickly got the kids ready to go and once they were gone, Antonio sat Jes down on the couch.

"Baby," She said. "You're scaring me."

He told her the whole story. He needed to unload this burden. He knew that she wasn't about to go blabbing the case to anyone. She understood confidentiality more than anyone. "I can't lose this job."

"You're not going to. Hank, Jay, all of them… they won't let it." She pulled him tightly to her. "You're going to get through this."

"I don't know what I'd do without you." He whispered as he began to cry into her shoulder.

"You don't ever need to worry about that. I'm here to stay."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was feeling the pressure. He had less than 24 hours to pull all this together before the Ivory Tower launched its own investigation and he lost his badge. Things fell in place and they caught the guy who had attempted to pawn the diamonds. It made it more pleasing to know that they caught the murderer but sadly there was no physical connection or evidence that connected Terry to Layla. She was going to get away with three million in diamonds and murder. At this point, Antonio didn't care. She's slip up and when she did, he'd be right there to throw the cuffs on her. He could wait. Ed had reappeared and said that the Ivory Tower had demanded Antonio's badge. It was then that Al and Hank dropped that Antonio's job as private security for Asher had been part of an undercover operation. Ed looked at the file and shook his head. "Chicago P.D."

Antonio was about to walk out of Hank's office when he turned back. "Thank you."

Al looked down. "I have no idea of what you're talking about."

Antonio smiled and headed home.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio walked into the house. "I'm home!"

"Upstairs!" Jes' voice was distant.

He ran upstairs to check out what they were doing. "Hey guys."

"Hi Dad." The kids said, not looking up from what they were doing.

"What are you guys up to?"

"I have come up with a way for them to keep busy." Jes walked over and wrapped her arms around his neck. "They're making they're own personalized recipe books."

"Wow. Very cool. Well, I'm home… so what can I do?"

"You can tell me what we should be putting on the menu for when your family comes this weekend."

"You still want to do that?"

"You don't…" She let the thought trail off because the kids didn't know about what had happened with Asher.

"No, I just want to make sure you're up for it."

"I am… so menu?"

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, we'll leave it there. This is one of my favourite episodes of season 2. I've taken my own liberties and modified it to follow my storyline. Let me know what you think!**_


	14. Don't Wanna Lose You Now

_**A/N: Welcome back! Hope you all enjoyed last chapter's adventures. To continue where we left off… time for a Dawson family reunion! Let me know what you think. It'll take place before the episode "Called in Dead".**_

* * *

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* * *

" _I am… so menu?"_

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"We'll talk about that later. First, I need to find out how long they're going to be here."

"Where are they staying?"

"Hopefully... with my parents." Antonio sighed. "Last time they stayed here, they drove me up the walls."

"Don't your nieces and nephew enjoy time with Diego and Eva?"

"Oh yes, they do. That's part of the reason why I'm hoping they're going to stay with my parents. I don't need you to have to babysit five brats, and my brother and sister-in-law."

"Dad!" Eva protested from the floor. "We're not brats."

"You, Freddy and Carla got into enough trouble last time. Don't get me started on when Diego and Maria decided to build volcanoes in the garage."

"We're older now." Diego reminded him. "Maria is more into dance now than she is into fun science stuff… plus I don't want to upset Jes."

"Awe, you're too sweet." Jes smiled. "But y'all do know I used to teach 30 plus teenagers at a time back when I was still teaching. I think I could handle it. Offer them to stay here if they don't have anywhere else to stay."

"Baby, I don't want you having to stress more." Antonio rubbed her shoulders.

"If you don't help me plan a menu, I'll be more stressed." She wrapped her arms around him as she spun around. "Let's go figure some stuff out, and we'll get the kids to tidy up in here."

"Sure thing!" Eva exclaimed as she jumped up from her spot and began collecting her stuff. "I'm taking we should be getting ready for bed?"

"Probably. It's late and tomorrow is Monday."

"Okay Dad." Diego put his book back on the desk that was designated for this project.

"Whoa, whoa. Hang on. Who are you and what have you done with my children?" Antonio asked.

"What do you mean, Daddy?" Eva asked in return.

"You're never this cooperative to go to bed."

"Um." Diego blushed. "We kinda figured that you had a rough couple days. That, and well… we don't want to have fights anymore. Families shouldn't fight."

"Awe." Jes whispered.

"Well, you know what guys… I think I like this new leaf." Antonio hugged his kids. "I love you guys. Go get ready for bed. Jes and I will come in and tuck you in in a little bit."

The kids made their way to their rooms. Antonio turned to face Jes. "Let's go and talk about my family coming down. It'll give the kids time to get ready for bed."

They made their way to the kitchen. Antonio filled Jes in on what could all happen if they hosted a family get together at their home.

"It's not that bad." Jes mentioned when Antonio had finished.

"Jes, do you really want to meet all the rest of my family all at once?"

"Antonio, babe, why do you seem to be so dead set against me meeting them?"

"You know one of the first things that's going to be asked, is when we're getting married."

Jes froze. "They'd seriously be asking that?"

Antonio nodded. "Jes, I don't want you feeling uncomfortable when they're around."

"Antonio… I…"

"Dad?" Diego asked from the entryway.

Antonio turned. "Diego, what's wrong?"

"Eva's sick."

"What do you mean?"

Diego didn't have a chance to explain, Jes bolted past both of them to Eva's bedroom. "Eva!" She called out. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Eva bent over the toilet in the hallway bathroom. "Sweetie. What's wrong?"

Eva's face was white as a sheet and covered in a sheen of sweat. "I… I dunno. I came in to brush my teeth… and then I felt like I had to throw up."

"Okay, can you sit?"

Eva nodded and sat back. She leaned into Jes. "I'm cold."

Jes felt the back of Eva's head. "Sweetie, what did you eat before you came home?"

"Abuela made sancocho. There's no…" Eva leaned over the toilet and threw up violently.

"Antonio!" Jes called. "Get in here!" She rubbed Eva's back. "Breathe, sweetheart." She shouted again. "Antonio!"

Antonio ran into the bathroom. "Dios mio! Eva!" He looked to Jes. "What's going on?"

"She's burning up. We gotta get her to a hospital. Like now." Jes grabbed the facecloth from the sink and ran the cold water. "Either you drive, or we call the paramedics."

"Let's go." Antonio swept Eva up into his arms. "Diego, call Tia Gaby… and Uncle Jay… We're taking Eva to Chicago Med." Jes grabbed the facecloth and a blanket and rushed after Antonio. Antonio laid Eva across Jes' lap and hopped in the driver's seat. "Buckle up!" He hit the lights and sirens and tore off into the night.

Gaby and Jay were both waiting at the ER entrance of Chicago Med. With them was a pediatric ER resident and nurses with a gurney. "What do we got?" The resident asked.

"14 year old female, fever and vomiting. Sudden onset." Jes said as Gaby and Jay helped get Eva out of the truck.

"Let's go! Get her to the Pedes Trauma room."

Jes and Antonio looked to each other then turned to Gaby and Jay. "Stay with Diego." They ran after the nurses and doctor.

Diego looked up to Gaby. "Tia, is Eva gonna be okay?"

Gaby sighed. "I'm not sure buddy. I'm not sure."

Jay knelt in front of Diego. "Go with your aunt and I'll go park your dad's truck. Your sister has the best doctors here." He hopped in the truck and went to park it.

Gaby led Diego to the family waiting area where they waited to see what was going on with his big sister.

Antonio and Jes followed the gurney with Eva. The one nurse turned around and stopped them. "You can't come in."

"The hell we can't!" Antonio was outraged. "That is my little girl! I'm not about to stand by and do nothing!"

"Antonio!" Jes put her hand on his chest. "Stop. We can't do anything. Let the doctors work."

"Your wife is right, Detective. There's nothing that you can right now. You can stand out here, and once we've got any information, we'll come tell you right away." The nurse turned and headed back into the room.

"Did I hear her right?" Jes asked as she wrapped her arms around Antonio. "Wife?"

"You heard her right. It's not something that's abnormal… you act like her mom. Like a real mom." He sighed. "I feel helpless again. Like I did when they kidnapped Diego."

"Antonio, something I learned when I was first living with Jay's family. Sometimes, things happen and it's out of our control. We just have to take it one step at a time."

"Did she say what it was?"

"No. I asked her what she ate, but I highly doubt Abuela's sancocho is what made her sick."

"You're right there. That's my Mom's cure-all."

"Detective? Mrs. Dawson?" The nurse stepped out.

"Uh… I'm …" Jes started by Antonio stopped her.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Has Eva had her appendix out?"

Antonio shook his head. "No. Is that what's making her this sick?"

The nurse replied. "It's the most likely possibility. The doctor's running some tests right now. She'll be out to talk to you as soon she has any information. Does Eva have any allegies?"

"Uh, the sulpha drugs." Antonio wracked his brain if there was anything else. "She's also sensitive to latex."

"Good thing the doctor is too." The nurse smiled. "She'll be fine."

Antonio watched as the nurse went back in to relay the information. "Jes, how… how do normal parents handle this?"

"Are you suggesting you're not normal?"

"I'm a cop. I bust down doors and arrest people on a regular basis. I… I… I haven't been around when the kids were sick. That… That was all on… on…" He fell to his knees. "I've never been there."

"Antonio, I highly doubt that Eva's going to be holding that against you. She knows you're here. You care about her. That's all that matters." Jes whispered. "Here, let's go sit. They'll tell us as soon as they know something."

They sat down, and were quickly joined by Gaby, Jay and Diego. They sat and waited for what seemed like eternity. Soon, the doors crashed open and the doctor jogged up to where they were seated.

"Detective Dawson?" She asked Antonio.

"Yes."

"Eva has acute appendicitis. We need your consent to do an emergency appendectomy to prevent it from rupturing."

"Anything. Give me the paperwork, I'll sign it. Just… take care of my baby."

The doctor nodded. "Definitely. Oh, Eva wants to see you and her mom before she goes in for surgery."

"Uh… her mom's not here." Jes pointed out.

"She said her mom and dad brought her in." The doctor looked at them in confusion.

Antonio took Jes' hand. "Let's go."

Jes was in shock. She just followed Antonio and the doctor.

"Eva." Antonio gasped as he ran to her bedside.

"Daddy." She groaned, grabbing her stomach. "I'm scared."

"Oh, mi amor. You'll be fine. You've got the best taking care of you."

"Mom?"

Antonio signalled to Jes.

"Hey, Eva. I'm here." Jes took Eva's other hand.

"Jes, can… can I call you mom… from… from now on."

"Oh, sweetheart… I'd be honoured for you to call me 'mom'." Jes smiled, a tear rolled down her cheek. "Your dad and I will both be waiting here for you. The doctor needs to take you to the OR right away, okay?"

Eva nodded. "I'll be okay, right?"

"Of course, baby, of course you will." Antonio kissed her forehead. "I promise you."

The doctor stood at the end of the gurney. "We should move, now."

Antonio nodded. He and Jes kissed her forehead and watched as the nurses and orderlies wheeled Eva towards the elevators. The doctor looked to them. "I take Eva isn't your daughter?" She asked Jes.

"No. Her biological mother has been legally forbidden from having contact with her." Antonio answered. "Jes and I are together. She's been a big part of both my children's lives for almost half a year now."

"I don't judge. I just want what's best for her. I'll come find you when the surgery's over. It should take about an hour."

"Thank you." Antonio sighed.

The doctor ran off for the stairs to the ORs.

Jes took Antonio's hand. "Let's go sit with the others. They'll be waiting for news."

They went into the waiting room and were surprised to see Antonio's parents as well as only who Jes could assume were his brother, sister-in-law and nieces and nephew. "Uh, Antonio."

Antonio looked up. "Oh shit."

Diego ran up to him. "Dad, what's wrong with Eva?"

"Uh, let's go sit down. Who called Abuela and Abuelo?"

"Tia Gaby."

"Oh boy. Jes hasn't really had a chance to meet everyone yet."

"I'll be fine. Let's go tell them, before they cause a riot."

They walked over to the waiting posse. Voices suddenly overtook the silent waiting area. Questions were being shot out in Spanish and English. Antonio whistled. "Woah. Stop."

The voices ceased.

"Please, just sit. I'll explain everything." Antonio said. "I don't need us all getting kicked out of the hospital though."

The family sat. Jay hugged Jes. "Everything okay?"

Jes nodded. "Will be." They sat in the chairs and waited for Antonio to explain the situation.

Antonio took a deep breath. "Eva has appendicitis. They're taking her straight up for surgery now. The doc said it'll be about an hour. As soon as they know more, they'll come tell us." He looked to Jes. "Now that y'all decided that it's time for a family reunion… I'd like to introduce Jeslyn to the rest of you." He extended his hand to her. She took it and stood next to him. "This is Jeslyn Bellamy." He pointed to Jay. "That's her big brother, Jay Halstead. He's one of my partners in Intelligence. Jes, that is my little brother, Javier and his wife Victoria. His son, Freddy and Freddy's twin sister, Carla. That little ballerina is Maria."

Jes shook all their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She received a round of warm hugs. Antonio's mother hugged her and thanked her for getting Eva to the hospital so quickly. Javier looked to Antonio. "Ella es diferente a la anterior."

"Si, pero de buena manera." Antonio smiled.

"No speaky Spanish remember?" Jes chimed in.

Diego grinned. "Tio said you're different than… well mom and Dad answered that you were in a good way."

"Ah." Jes returned the grin. "I guess it pays to have my own little translator."

"He's sneaky." Victoria pointed out.

"That he is." Antonio smirked. "Come on, let's go to the family area upstairs."

"I know the way." Diego ran ahead.

"How does he know that?" Jes asked.

Jay leaned in. "He's spent enough time here when Antonio needed surgery."

"Ah." Jes looked to Antonio. "I hope we won't be having to make too many more trips there."

"No guarantees, but I do promise to try my damndest not to get shot anymore." Antonio took her hand. "Let's go and wait for news on Eva."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

A little under an hour later, the surgeon appeared. "Uh, Eva Dawson's family?"

Everyone in the waiting room stood. "Oh boy. Parents?"

Antonio stood and started walking towards the surgeon. He noticed Jes wasn't at his side. He turned back, "Jes?"

Jes stood, frozen.

Antonio walked back to her. "Baby, you are more of a mother to her. She called you mom, she'll want to see you."

Everyone else in the room froze. No one else had known that Jes was that important to the kids. Jes nodded and the two followed the surgeon. Jay turned to face Gaby.

"Uh, what was that all about?"

Diego sat quietly in the corner, reading a magazine. Gaby and Jay turned to face him. "Diego?"

He looked up. "What?"

"Since when do you and Eva call Jes 'Mom'?"

"I guess since tonight." Diego said without a care. "What does it matter?"

"It doesn't mijo." Emmanuel Dawson stood up. "As long as you are loved, it doesn't matter what you call her."

Jes and Antonio stood outside Eva's recovery room. The doctor began to explain what had been done. "We were able to do it with the scope. She'll have three small scars from the incisions. Luckily, we got in there before it burst. She's on antibiotics as a safety net and we're giving her some painkillers. We're also giving her some heparin injections to prevent any blood clots."

"How long will she need to be in here?" Antonio was anxious to get his daughter home.

"A couple days, minimum. No more than 4. Depends on how quickly she gets up and about. She'll also need to be able to eat and use the bathroom on her own before she can go."

"Okay. Can we see her?" Antonio asked.

"Of course. If you or Eva needs anything, just press the call button."

"Thank you." Antonio and Jes shook her hand and went into Eva's room. "Hi baby." Antonio whispered as he walked up to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." Eva's voice was hoarse. "Can I have some water?"

Jes nodded. "I'll ask the nurse." She soon returned with some ice chips. "They said no liquids, but said you could suck on some ice."

"Thanks… Mom." Eva smiled weakly.

Jes smiled. "It'll take time for me to get used to that."

"We have that." Antonio said. "We've got time."

They sat and talked for a while. Soon Eva was sleepy and the nurse came in. "It's time for Eva to sleep. You can come back in tomorrow morning. If anything changes, we'll call."

"Thank you." Jes said. She kissed Eva on the forehead. "Sweet dreams."

Antonio kissed her cheek and whispered something to her in Spanish.

"Te quiero." Eva whispered.

Antonio and Jes made their way back to their family. "She's okay. She'll be fine. Just needs a few days to recover, then we can go home."

"Oh, thank God!" Constanza exclaimed. She muttered a prayer in Spanish.

"Now, if you don't mind, I think you all should go home, and we'll call you in the morning with news once we've seen her."

The bulk of the Dawson clan headed out. Gaby, and Jay stayed behind. They were going to walk Antonio, Diego and Jes to their truck. Half way out of the elevator they heard a commotion coming from main entryway of the hospital.

"What are you doing here, puta?!" Antonio could hear his mother shouting. This was followed by a string of obscenities in his mother tongue.

Antonio, Jay and Gaby ran ahead. "Stay here with Diego!" Antonio shouted to Jes.

She wrapped her arms around him. "We'll just stay here."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio knew in an instant what the cause of the commotion was. Hospital security was trying to keep two of the main parties apart. "CPD!" He shouted. Everyone froze. Then he saw her. "Laura!"

"Antonio! You son of a bitch! You weren't going to tell me!" She struggled against the security guard. "Let me go!"

Jay grabbed her from the guard. "You aren't supposed to be anywhere near these kids!"

"You can't stop me! She's my daughter! Eva is my daughter." She wept. "I want my children back! I can't keep doing this."

Javier stepped in. "Look, you fucked up. Get out of here. Stop making a scene."

"How dare you!?" Laura glared at him. "Where's your wife? Huh?! Did you leave her back in New York, like Antonio used to leave me here?"

"No. She went to get the kids in the car." Javier was getting pissed.

Antonio stepped between his ex and his brother. "Enough! Jesus Christ!" He turned to his father. "Take Mom and Javi and get out of here."

Emmanuel did as his son asked. "Vamonos. Let's leave them to this. It's not our place."

Soon, only Antonio, Gaby, Jay and Laura were left. Laura reached out to slap Antonio. Gaby caught her wrist. "Don't you dare think about hitting my brother, or else they'll be wiping you off this floor!"

"Why are you all defending him?" Laura demanded. "Don't you see?"

"What the hell are we supposed to be seeing? Huh, Laura?"

Security approached. "Look, can you take this elsewhere? It's causing issues within the ER and other wings."

"You got it." Jay snarled. "You got a room where we can have an interrogation?"

The security guard nodded. "Follow me."

Jay grabbed Laura, "Let's go."

"Don't you manhandle me!"

Jay turned to Gaby and Antonio. "Call Voight."

Antonio was dialling Voight as Diego ran towards him. "Dad! Can we go?"

"Diego!" Laura exclaimed. "Diego, Mommy's here."

Diego turned and then froze in his tracks. "Dad? What's going on?"

"Diego, go with Tia Gaby and Jes."

"Jes!" Diego called. He was scared.

Jes came running. "What's wron…" Then she met Laura's gaze. "Oh, I see. Let's go to the truck."

"She rides with you? She living with you too?" Laura growled.

"Antonio! Get them outta here." Jay grabbed Laura. "Move!"

Diego ran to Jes. "Mom, I just wanna go home."

"Mom?" Laura screeched. "She's not your mom!"

Antonio wrapped his arms around Jes and Diego, who was crying. "Let's go. Gaby, please, come with us."

"Yeah. Yeah." Gaby went after them.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay cuffed Laura to the chair in the security office. "What the fuck were you thinking Laura? Huh?"

"Where the fuck does that bitch get off on getting MY kids to call her 'mom'?"

"Watch your mouth." Jay growled. "I'm really not in the mood for this shit."

Laura sprouted a long chain of profanities at him. "I hope to hell you know I'm going to find a way to get out of this shit."

"Good luck with that." Hank Voight's voice came from the open doorway.

"Boss." Jay acknowledged his Sergeant. "Laura here caused quite the commotion."

"I heard." Voight asked. "What happened?"

"I…"

"Shut up!" Jay glared at her. "You've caused enough shit tonight!"

"Jay. Talk to me."

"Antonio rushed Eva here. They had to do an emergency appendectomy. She'll be fine. His whole family was here. Then **she** showed up and World War III broke out."

Hank sat across from her. "Just exactly what the hell did you think to achieve?"

"I want to see my kids. What you conned me into was illegal. I want out!" Laura fought against the cuffs. "I'm done!"

"Oh, really." Hank turned to Jay. "Well, if she wants out… then we can accommodate that. She'll just get put in prison from now until the end of days. Especially since she violated that restraining order."

"I'll gladly escorted her to Max Security."

"What?! NO!" Laura snarled. "I want nothing to do with any of this. I didn't bring in those drugs knowingly. You can't hold me responsible."

"The law says we can." Voight clasped his hands together. "Now, what I wanna know, and I'm sure Detective Halstead here wants to know… is how the fuck did you even know Eva was here?"

Laura clamped her jaw shut. She wasn't about to reveal her source.

"Don't speak. That's your choice and your right." Jay said. "We can also add more charges to the list."

"You can't do shit." She spat.

"Disturbing the peace. Violating a restraining order. Breach of confidentiality. There are so many more I can figure a way to add." Jay counted out the potential charges. "Uttering threats could be added."

"You can't!"

"Damn it, Laura!" Voight slammed his hand down on the table. "Quit fucking around!"

"I wanna know, how you know that Eva was here!?" Jay got right in her face.

"I got a call from one of the nurses." Laura conceded. "She knew Eva and when she didn't see me there, she called me."

"I thought we were supposed to have her off those types of lists?" Voight asked.

"She is."

"I still have friends. They didn't know why I had been taken off the list, nor did they ask." Laura glowered at Voight. "I rushed over here."

"Where's Andres?" Voight questioned.

"At home. I drove myself."

"He wasn't the least bit concerned about your daughter?" Voight tapped his fingers on the table.

"No." She hung her head. "He said she wasn't his problem."

"That tells you what kind of monster he is if he doesn't even care about his woman's daughter."

"Look, I've given you enough on him. Bring him in. I want out." She pleaded.

"Even **if** we could arrest him, we don't just want him. We want the whole crew." Jay slid into the chair next to Voight. "Even if you were done, you'd be on the first flight or train out of Chicago. Now, since you violated our policies, there's going to be consequences."

"No!" Laura pleaded, raising her voice about three octaves. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

"You coulda called 'Tonio." Voight pointed out. "But, naw, why do that when you can waltz into Chicago Med and cause a scene that almost ended with a riot? Right?"

Laura sunk back into her seat. "He wasn't going to tell me."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he doesn't want me near the kids."

"Do you blame him?" Jay asked. "He beat himself up after you left. Blamed himself. Now that he knows your true colours, he's gonna protect those kids from your poor life choices."

"Don't forget, Laura." Voight jumped in. "You walked out on him when he needed you."

"The job, you… always trumped me!" Laura shouted. "I was tired of seeing the kids be second fiddle to Intelligence."

"Antonio was offered other positions." Voight responded. "He chose to stay in Intelligence because he knew it was the best place to be to keep his children safe."

Laura just stopped speaking. She knew she was just digging herself a deeper grave.

"That's better." Voight smiled. "Now, you're going to keep upholding your end of the bargain. You're never EVER going to try and see those children again. They don't need you anymore."

"She saw Diego… and he called Jes 'mom'." Jay whispered to Hank.

Hank looked between Jay and Laura. "Did he?"

That was the last button for Laura. "That bitch is not his mother!"

Voight glared at her. "I think that Diego is old enough to know who his mother is."

"She didn't spend twelve hours in labour with him!"

"Motherhood is so much more than just giving birth, Laura. You know that." Jay smirked.

"She's not their mother!" Laura felt like Mt. Vesuvius. "She's their fucking tutor."

"I beg to differ. Obviously she's more than that."

"So Antonio's fucking the tutor too?"

"Watch your tongue!" Jay bolted up from his chair.

Voight put his hand out to stop Jay from throttling her. "Cool it, Jay." Jay glowered at Laura as he walked to the back of the room. Voight turned to Laura. "You may want to watch what you say from now on."

"Why? It's true, isn't it? That that bimbo is banging my husband."

"Your EX-HUSBAND!" Jay screeched.

"Do you know anything Laura?" Voight asked. "Or do you live with your head up your ass?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Voight pulled out his phone and showed Laura pictures from the opening of P2K. "See, right there? That's Antonio and Jes… he's not there just to be her body guard."

"You trying to tell me he's actually in a relationship with that broad?"

Jay lost it. "Yes! They're in a relationship. She is raising YOUR children! Does it upset you that your EX-HUSBAND was able to move on?!"

"Why are you so up in my face about this woman?!"

Voight stood between Laura and Jay. "She's his sister."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"Dad, I thought… I thought that Sergeant Voight said Mom…" Diego looked to Jes. "that she wasn't allowed to see us unless Eva and I wanted to see her."

Antonio nodded. "He did. She didn't listen. Uncle Jay and Sergeant Voight will deal with it."

"Jes." Diego turned to her. "Is it okay that we call you 'Mom'?"

Jes fought back a tear. "Of course. You can call me whatever you'd like, except for 'late for dinner'."

Diego laughed. "I think that would be Dad's name instead of yours."

"Hey!" Antonio acted shocked. "That hurts."

"Admit it, Bro, he has a point." Gaby patted Antonio on the shoulder.

"I surrender. I can't win."

The group broke out into laughter. Gaby made sure they were safely in the truck and on their way. She went back to the hospital. "Are the two Intelligence officers still here?" She asked Security.

"Yeah." The guard looked pissed. "That gonna be a regular occurence?"

Gaby shook her head. "Not if they can help it. Where'd they go?"

"You can't go back there. I can show you to the waiting area. I'll let them know you're still waiting."

"Thanks." Gaby wanted to beat the shit out of Laura for the scene she had caused. She collapsed into one of the uncomfortable chairs and waited. It wasn't long before security was escorting Laura from the room. Gaby didn't say anything. She wasn't about to make the problem worse. Laura's head was hung. Gaby didn't think Laura even knew she was there. Gaby jumped up from her chair when Voight and Jay walked out of the room. "Please tell me that she can't come near the kids anymore."

"Gabriella." Hank extended his hand. "I can assure you that Laura will not be anywhere near those kids or Antonio anymore. She's been forbidden from being in Med while the kids are here. I did have to tell her that Antonio will update her on Eva's condition. He'll also have to at least inform her if something else happens to the kids. That is until she's officially done with this case."

"But she can't see them. She can't go after Jes… none of that?" Gaby felt like she was babbling.

"Don't worry. My sister and your brother are not in any danger." Jay hugged her. "They gone?"

Gaby nodded. "They should almost be home by now. Diego didn't mean for Laura to hear him call Jes 'mom'."

"It's none of her business. If Diego and Eva think of Jes as their mom, then that's up to them." Voight put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't you worry. The instant we can get that crew tossed in lock up, she's outta here. Gone."

Gaby breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Don't worry, Gaby." Jay gave her a grin. "We always protect family."

"I believe it." Gaby's body relaxed. "Can I, uh… can someone give me a ride home? I don't think I'm emotionally able to drive right now."

"Sure." Jay nodded. "Uh, someone can come get your car tomorrow?"

"Sylvie can drop me off here on the way to work tomorrow." Gaby turned to Hank. "Thanks Voight. I, uh… I know we haven't seen eye to eye on a lot of things, but thanks for having my brother's back."

"He's had mine. He's a great cop. He doesn't need this shit." Hank shook her hand. "Go on. You'll be wiped for shift tomorrow. I'll let Security know that your car will be here overnight."

"Thanks." She said and then she followed Jay out to his car. "Is this thing almost over?"

"I can't… I can't give details."

"I'm not asking for details. I want to know when my brother can move on with his life. When your sister can move on with her new life."

Jay opened the car door for her. "Did you know the kids see Jes as their mom?"

"I think that took everyone, especially Jes, by surprise tonight."

"I knew she was close with them, but I wasn't… I didn't know."

"She's done more with those kids in the last few months than Laura had done in the last few years." Gaby said as she buckled up. "You're worried about something, aren't you?"

Jay slid in behind the wheel. "What if this whole thing goes south with Antonio and Jes? Not only will her heart be broken but so will the kids'."

"Jay, I think you're seeing something that's not there. Antonio wants to marry your sister one day."

Jay's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Come on. Are you honestly that blind? Oh, wait, you were the one who was oblivious to them being together for three months."

"Low blow Gaby."

"Would you be mad if they got married?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Our job isn't easy on relationships."

"I'm pretty sure that Jes and Antonio had that conversation before they started a relationship." Gaby pointed out. "Turn left up there."

"What happened to you and Matt?"

"The job."

"See? My point. Even you and Matt, who have the same job couldn't make it work."

"Jay, the reason Matt and I couldn't work is because work didn't stay at work and home didn't stay home. Antonio and Jes don't even have relatively similar careers." Gaby sighed. "Are you worried that they will work out? That you'll lose your baby sister?"

"Gaby, that's not fair."

"Jay, it's the truth. You've always been her main guy. You're worried that you'll stop being that guy for her." Gaby signalled which house to pull up to.

Jay parked the car. "Maybe you're right. If he does want to marry her, would he… you know…"

"Ask?"

Jay nodded.

"Probably. Antonio's old school. He respects you… he also knows how important Jes is to you." Gaby touched his arm lightly. "She loves you. You're her knight in shinning armour, Jay. Nothing will change that."

"You speaking from experience?"

"Damn straight I am." Gaby grinned. "I grew up with two big brothers. They protected me, and I know that when Matt wanted to propose, he asked Antonio. I admire what both my brothers do, even if it means that their lives are always on the line. I suspect that Jes feels the same way I do, because the two men she loves not only work dangerous jobs, they work as partners."

"I've never thought about it that way."

"You're the brother. You can't see it from a sister's perspective. Just let Jes and Antonio make this journey with the least amount of interruption as possible."

"I'll try. I can guarantee that Laura won't be ruining it anymore though."

"Amen to that." She kissed Jay on the cheek. "Thanks for the ride home."

"No problem. Thanks for being there for my sister too."

"Hey, I'm only happy to help them." She got out of the car. "Night, Halstead."

"Night Dawson." He watched as she got in the house and slowly headed home. He had a lot to think about.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio pulled into the driveway. Diego had fallen asleep the instant they had pulled out of the hospital parking lot. He looked at the time. "It's almost 3."

"I think calling the school tomorrow will be best. Let Diego rest, and well… Eva can't go back to school for a little bit."

"I've been thinking…"

"Sounds like a dangerous proposition, Detective."

"Haha." Antonio laughed. "I'm serious."

"Okay, what have you been thinking about?" Jes unbuckled Diego's seatbelt. "We'll talk while we get him inside to bed."

Antonio nodded. "They've missed so much school… uhg… he's getting heavy."

"He's a ten year old boy who is sound asleep. What did you expect?" Jes giggled. She closed the door of the truck and ran ahead to open the door for Antonio.

"Yeah. I keep forgetting they're going up right in front of me." Antonio sighed. They made their way to Diego's room; they took off his shoes and laid him under the covers. Antonio kissed his forehead. "Let's go to the kitchen."

Jes nodded. She turned out the lights and closed the door part way. "So, you were saying… they've missed a lot of school…"

"Yeah. They've missed so much because of the divorce, now they've missed it because I got sole custody. You add in the fact that Eva's sick and we've just spent an entire night at the ER… it's getting to be too much."

"What's the idea, Antonio?" Jes poured herself a glass of apple juice.

"Is it possible for you to finish homeschooling them, and we give them a fresh start in the new school year?"

Jes looked up from her glass. "I don't see why not. I'm assuming that Chicago has materials for me to access and use."

"Most likely."

"Would you be okay with them be schooled at P2K?"

"I'm not about to ask you to quit your job. Especially since we've already seen what a couple months of it being open can do for the youth of our city."

"I just want to make sure that's what you want for the kids." She kissed his cheek. "I should probably call Jacquie and let her know that she's gotta hold down the fort for a couple days."

"At 3am?" Antonio poured some water and took a gulp. "Is that wise?"

"Better waking her up, than her trying to call me at the hospital tomorrow."

"True. I'm gonna go get ready for bed." His phone buzzed. "Why is your brother calling me?"

"Hell if I know." Jes checked her phone. "He obviously wants to talk to you because he never bothered trying to call me."

"Okay." He kissed her. "See you in bed." He answered the call and walked towards their bedroom. "Hey, Jay. What's up?"

Jes smiled as she watched Antonio walk away. Tonight had been eye-opening experience. She hit Jacquie's name in her contacts.

"Hello?" Jacquie grumbled. "Who is this? It's 3 o'clock in the fucking morning." Jes could hear Kevin in the background. "Who the fuck is that?"

"Jacquie, it's me. Jes."

"Oh my God!" Jacquie was jolted awake. "Jes! Is everything okay?"

Jes could hear a bunch of noise coming from Jacquie's end. She had obviously now woken both Kevin and Jacquie. "It is now."

"What do you mean now?!"

"Eva's in the hospital."

"Why? What happened? Is she going to be okay?" Jacquie rambled.

"Slow down. Yeesh. She got really sick right before bed tonight, so we rushed her to Med. They did tests and she had acute appendicitis. They did an appendectomy and she's recovering now. She'll be in the hospital for the next 2 to 4 days."

"Oh, thank God!" Jacquie sighed. She relayed the information to Kevin, who also breathed a sigh of relief. Jes could hear as Kevin rearranged himself to go back to sleep. She also heard Jacquie get out of bed and go to another room. "So what do you need?"

"I need you to hold down the fort until Eva's well enough to be left alone at home."

"What about school?"

"Antonio's going to arrange it to have me finish their school year via home-schooling."

Jacquie paused to gather her thoughts. "Does that mean you're not coming back?"

"No, I'll be doing it at P2K. I know it's not optimal, but they've fallen so far behind because of the divorce and custody… they can achieve, just not in a traditional setting for the rest of this school year."

"Is Antonio okay with you doing it at P2K?"

"Yeah." Jes took a breath.

"Hey, there's something else, isn't there."

"Laura showed up."

"Oh shit! What happened?"

"It was when we were on our way out. It almost came to blows. Antonio's whole family was there. It got ugly pretty fast."

"Did she see you?"

"Unfortunately. Antonio told me to stay behind with Diego but Diego ran towards Antonio. Then I chased after him."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing, until Diego called me 'mom'…"

"What?!" Jacquie had to sit down. "He called you what?"

"Both he and Eva called me 'mom'." Jes breathed. "I almost cried. I… I never thought that I could be 'mom'."

"Jes… you can and you obviously are. I'm taking when bitchface heard that, she flipped?"

"Oh shit… you have no idea."

"Well, what happened?"

"She made Diego cry, called me a bunch of horrid names and then Security and Jay dragged her off to the security office. Antonio and I came home with Diego… Jay is actually on the phone with Antonio right now. I'm assuming it's to fill him on what all went down. Voight got called in too. She's pissed off the wrong group of people."

"Well, at least she's outta the picture. Let me know how Eva is tomorrow and I've always got your back. Anything happens that's 911 and I need you, I'll call."

"Thanks Jacquie. You're the best."

"Go get some sleep. Text me tomorrow."

"Deal. Night, and I'm sorry I woke you and Kevin up."

"He's back out like a light. I swear there could be a stampede of elephants and he'd go right back to sleep."

"Fun times. Night."

"Night." Jacquie ended the call.

Jes looked at her phone. It was almost 4 and she could still hear Antonio on the phone with Jay. She padded down the hallway and quickly checked on Diego. He must've gotten up at some point because his clothes were on the floor and he was in his pyjamas half off the bed. She chuckled to herself and quietly closed the door. She closed the door to their bedroom once she got in the room. Antonio stopped pacing and smiled at her. She smiled back and set about to getting ready for bed. She had now gotten accustomed to wearing a nightgown or nightshirt because she never knew if the kids would ever barge in on them. She was taking out her contacts when Antonio finally ended the call. "What was that all about?" She asked.

"My psycho ex-wife is about to drive him and Hank off the deep end." Antonio shook his head. "You look beautiful."

"I look like death warmed over. I am so wiped."

"Thanks for being there tonight… with Eva… this whole thing…"

She turned around and hugged him tightly. "You're doing great. Don't sell yourself short, Antonio. You're an amazing father."

He kissed her gently. "You are an amazing mother."

Jes' cheeks burned. "I wasn't kidding when I told Eva that it'll take time for me to get used to being called that."

"Are you okay with it?"

"Oh, of course! I'm just surprised they're wanting to… and so soon… you know with this… whole, uh… thing."

Antonio sighed. "She's trying to get out of the agreement she had with Voight and Jay."

"They're not going to let her… right?"

"Nope. It's official… she can't undo anything about it. I just want them to make the bust soon so that they can put her on the next possible flight out of Chicago. I'm not too pleased with what she said to you."

"She's upset that her children have found a new mother figure… the look in her eyes… I know that look."

Antonio tilted her head up. "What's up, babe?"

"She's jealous that you've found me."

"She didn't even know about 'us' until Voight clarified it tonight."

"She was probably suspicious." Jes reminded him. "You were together almost two decades. That's a lot of time. She probably figured you'd come crawling back to her, begging her to take you back."

"That was never going to happen."

"I know, Antonio. I know that. We all do. She needed to feel in control… and that didn't pan out."

"When did you become a shrink?"

Jes laughed. "I had to take enough psychology and sociology classes to become a teacher. Plus, I work with teens… a lot of girls. Jealousy is a huge problem at that age… and in Laura's case… it never stopped. Was she jealous of your CIs?"

"Yup." Antonio sighed. "I guess the signs were always there."

Jes sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed some lotion on her legs and feet. "What else did Jay say?"

"You don't give up, do you?"

She shook her head. "Have you met me before? I don't give up easily, Detective."

"One of the many reasons I love you." He took the lotion and applied some to her neck and shoulders. "Jay said that they've ordered her to stay away from Med while Eva is there. I, however, have to inform her on anything that happens to the kids' health until she's relocated. Once she's out of Chicago, I can cut all official ties with her."

"How close are they to getting these guys?" Jes moaned lightly as Antonio massaged out a kink in her left shoulder.

"Close, but not close enough to make a clean strike and take 'em all out at once."

"Shit."

"I know." He kissed her neck. "I think we should get some sleep."

Jes looked at her bedside clock. "I believe that would be a very wise idea. You should probably call the school first thing." She laid down and got comfortable.

"Don't worry, I've set my alarm. Once we see Eva in the morning, we'll pop over there really quick and organize it that you'll be teaching them."

"Will the school even take them back next year?"

Antonio got in the bed and pulled Jes into his arms. "I'm not sure I want them back there. It's a great school, don't get me wrong… but I can't risk Laura…"

"It's fine, love." She kissed him. "It gives us time to find a new school that's good for them."

Antonio turned off the light.

* * *

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* * *

Eva was looking much better when they arrived that morning. Diego sat with her and the two played "Connect 4" while Jes and Antonio spoke with the doctor.

"I understand that Eva's biological mother is to have zero contact with her, and all communication is to be done with the two of you?" The doctor clarified.

"That's correct." Jes smiled. "I know this isn't conventional, but it's the law, and that's that."

"It's been dealt with on our end. It won't happen again."

"Good to hear." Antonio said. "How's Eva?"

"Very well. She was able to get up and do a small walk around the ward this morning. She ate most of her breakfast and managed to keep the bulk of it down. Sadly, the anesthesia stays in the system a little longer, so she was a little nauseated but it seems to have passed. We switched her from the hard painkillers to a much milder form. I think if she passes a good night tonight and can move about herself tomorrow, she can go home tomorrow evening."

"That's fantastic news!" Jes exclaimed. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're very welcome." The doctor shook both their hands. "If you need anything, please just let us know." She walked away to continue her rounds.

Antonio and Jes went back to Eva's room. Her eyes lit up when Jes walked in the room. "Hi Mom, Daddy."

"Hey there." Antonio hugged her gently. "I see you're still kicking your brother's butt at this game."

"She cheats." Diego pouted.

"No, I don't! You're just predictable." Eva laughed. "Oh, maybe I shouldn't laugh too hard. It hurts."

"Good idea." Jes kissed her forehead. "Other than the incisions, you're feeling better?"

Eva nodded. "Much. I just don't like their food."

"Bland?"

Eva nodded again. "Yup. I miss your cooking."

Jes blushed. "You'll be eating my food soon enough. The doctor said that if you do well tonight and tomorrow morning, you can come home."

"Really?" Eva faced her father.

Antonio smiled. "Yep. Later today, Jes and I have to go to your school. We know that you've both been playing catch-up and it's not easy… so we talked, and if you're okay with it, we'll get you pulled out. Jes can homeschool you the rest of this year… and we'll put you in a new school next year…"

"Is this because of… the whole thing with other mom." Diego asked.

"She's still your mom, sweetie." Jes ruffled his hair. "I'm not here to replace her, I'm just a second mom. So…"

"We know." Eva smiled. "It's just so frustrating. Diego told me what she did last night."

Antonio glared at his son. "Your sister didn't need to know."

"Why not?" Eva crossed her arms, while being mindful of the IV. "I'm the reason it happened."

Jes saw exactly where this was headed to she cut everyone off. "Eva, this wasn't your fault. Yes, you should know because you are a part of this family and it has to do with you. Your dad would've told you… just once you were a little stronger. We don't want you having to stay here longer than necessary." That managed to calm everyone. "Now, yes, we think it would be best if you finish the school year with me, mainly because we can keep you where you need to be and you'll be up to par with everyone else. As for the new school… your dad and I think it would be best so that Laura and Andres, if they're still around… can't get to you guys. But, considering I know how it feels to be bounced around all the time and stuff, if you really don't want to move schools, we'll keep you there."

"Take time to think about it." Antonio smiled. "We're in no rush. You still have to recover from this surgery anyhow."

"Thanks Dad." She turned to Jes. "Are you okay with homeschooling us?"

Jes smiled. "Of course. Though, we won't be at home per se, we're going to be at P2K… since it's kinda still my job."

"Oh! But, if you're…"

"Eva, stop. Don't worry. I can multi task. You guys are bright and gifted, I won't be worried. You'll do great. Plus it's only late fall now. You have time to catch up and even bypass them." Jes took her hand. "Trust me."

"I do." Eva smiled. "Dad, Diego said that Tio and Tia, and the cousins are up from New York?"

Antonio nodded. "Yup. They're happy that you're okay. They're gonna come up and see you later this afternoon, while Jes and I go to the school… They said that since this is all going on they'll come back for Christmas next month."

"Okay." Eva took a deep breath.

"Hey, everything okay?" Jes asked. She was ready to bolt to get help from a nurse.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. Just tired."

"Then we will let you have a nap, and we'll go grab breakfast okay. Have the nurse call us when you're up."

"Thanks Dad. Te quiero."

"Te quiero mi amor." He hugged her. "Get some rest." They left the room and made a quick stop at the nurses desk.

"Good morning, Detective. How's Eva?" The kind nurse asked.

"Fine. She said she was tired, so we're letting her rest. We'll be down in the cafeteria getting breakfast. Can you call me when she's up?"

"Of course. Enjoy breakfast." She waved as she went to quickly check on Eva.

The trio headed off to enjoy breakfast and discuss what was going to happen with school.

* * *

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* * *

The next evening, Eva was released from the hospital. The doctors explained the wound care for her incisions and made sure that she wasn't to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds for at least two weeks. With those instructions and a 'Get Well Soon' bear from the nurses, they headed home. Antonio's family was waiting for them there. They wanted one last visit before they boarded their 10am flight back to New York. Jes quickly learned what Antonio had meant when he said that Dominican gatherings got loud. At one point, she asked why Antonio was mad at Javier, but Diego quickly explained that they were just discussing baseball. "Oh. I see."

"Yeah. When Dominicans get passionate about something, it would seem that they're pissed off, but really they're not." Victoria appeared at Jes' side. "Still getting used to all of this huh?"

"Antonio and I have only really been together for about four months now." Jes answered.

"I think you've been together longer than that." Victoria commented.

"Not officially. We've known each other for about six or seven months now."

"Javi filled me in on how you two met."

Jes blushed. "I see."

"Don't be embarrassed. It's better than being arrested."

Jes gaped at Victoria. "What exactly were you getting arrested for?"

"Uh… long story short, I used to be vocal on certain causes… got carried away a couple times back when I was younger. I was 17 when Javi picked me up for vandalizing one of the local universities biology labs. He was fresh outta the Academy then. Until then, I hadn't really had an interest in dating… until I met him. He's got five years on me. We waited until I was 18 before actually doing anything… would've been bad for a cop to be caught dating a minor."

Jes laughed. "I should say so. So you're from Chicago as well?"

"Yeah. New York, well it wasn't our first pick to move. Especially since both of our families are still here. But my work offered me a major promotion, pay raise and moving expenses to go, so we went."

"Did Antonio tell Javier about me?"

"He told him that you were Jay's sister, through adoption. That you'd been orphaned before you graduated high school. He also said that you are a fantastic teacher who's doing a bunch of good for Chicago."

"Well, I think he's blowing the youth centre out of proportion."

Victoria took Jes' hand. "I think you sell yourself short, Jes. You have no idea what impact you have on people's lives."

"Is that a good thing?" Jes asked.

Gaby suddenly appeared. "Damn straight it is! Do you know how many less calls we've had for nuisance fires because kids aren't out there playing with matches?… Sylvie said the number of youth overdoses has dropped significantly since P2K opened its doors. You have to see what you're doing is good."

"Tia Gaby?" Diego asked.

"Yes, Diego."

"I think Mom needs time to process how amazing she is."

"Well put Diego!" Victoria high-fived him. "Listen to the kids. They're brutally honest, but it's usually for the best."

"That I have learned in the time I've been teaching." Jes laughed. "I think it's this 'mom' thing that I'm going to have to get used to."

"You're a natural, babe." Antonio came up behind her. "How's it going?"

"It's louder than I thought." She laughed.

"I did warn you." He kissed her.

"I know you did." Jes sighed. "At least I have time to plan for Christmas."

"It's a month away!" Victoria exclaimed. "You have plenty of time."

"No, not really." Jes replied.

"How so?" Javier joined the conversation.

"Oh brother." Antonio groaned. "Diego, I think we should go check on the pizzas."

"No, Dad! I wanna hear this."

Jes turned to Javier. "As a teacher, I've planned things more meticulously than the D-Day landings and the bombings of Tokyo. I am a perfectionist, especially around the holidays. I also want to make sure, that… well that I fit in."

"In what?" Gaby asked.

"The family." Jes whispered.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her. "Love, trust me. You fit in. If you want to plan ahead, we'll plan ahead."

"I won't argue with a woman who deals with ornery teens all day." Javier conceded. "I think she has more knowledge on that than most people… except Mami." He finished as Constanza approached.

"Smart boy." She laughed. "Eva is tired. She like to say good night to everyone."

"I think that's a wise idea." Antonio checked the time. "It's getting late, and you guys have to get to the airport at a decent time."

* * *

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* * *

 **December 5… (two weeks later)**

Antonio awoke to a squawking sound coming from his side of the bed. He batted around until he made contact with the offensive device. "Hello?" He answered sleepily.

"'Tonio?" Voight's voice rumbled over the phone.

"Boss. Yeah. Uh, yeah. What's up?"

"We got a case. Big stash house for Passion."

"That bad dope that killed those college kids last week?"

"Same one. Erin got a tip. Dancer at some club. She says that there's almost two million in pure Passion there right now."

"We doing a raid?"

"Something like that."

"Blacked out… make it so we get bigger fish." Antonio sighed. It had been a very long time since Intelligence had done one of those. It had been even longer since he'd been able to participate in one. He thought back. "Haven't done one of those since I was in Vice."

"It's like riding a bike."

"Everyone else already called in?"

"They will be. Erin and I are playing phone tree. You're the first one on my list… call Atwater for me?"

"Got it boss. See you in 10… give or take."

"Thanks, bro." Voight ended the call.

Antonio looked at the time. "Fuck." He turned over. "Jes… baby?" He gently shook her.

"Go away." She groaned.

He kissed her. "Come on babe, I need you up for a couple minutes."

Jes' eyes slowly opened. "What's going on?"

"Voight called."

Jes looked at her clock. "What the hell did Hank want at 2 in the morning?"

"We got a hot tip. Line on a major drug stash house… same dope that killed a couple college kids last week."

That got Jes' attention. "You're going now?"

Antonio nodded. "You know if I had the choice, I'd much rather be here in bed next to you."

"I know." She pulled him to her and kissed him, nibbling on his lower lip. "But I also knew what I was signing up for by being in a relationship with you. We made that choice; it's been almost five months. Though, according to your sister-in-law, we've probably been unofficially together since the moment we laid eyes on each other."

"We can debate that once this case is over with. The raid won't take long."

"Promise me you'll be safe?"

"As safe as I can be." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Are the others going too?"

He nodded. "Yep."

Jes shivered. "Keep on eye on Jay and Kevin too… I don't want to have to deal with any of you guys getting hurt."

"We always have each others back."

"Then go. Save the day!" She kissed him again. "Let me know that you're safe after?"

"I will." He kissed her again. "Don't tell the kids that it's a drug raid."

"Got it." She smiled. "Don't worry. We've got this."

With that, he threw his clothes on, grabbed his badge and gun and headed out the door while calling Atwater to head out to the District. Jes walked him to the door and watched as he pulled away. As his taillights faded into the night, she locked the door, set the alarm and went back to bed. She knew she wasn't going to 'sleep' but she could at least try to rest. It was going to take some getting used to, but she'd get there. She had to.

Antonio picked Kevin up on the way to the station. It was on the way, and it gave the two a chance to catch up. "How's things with Jacquie?"

Kevin smiled. "They're great. She and Vinessa have really bonded. They do a girls' night once a week… mainly the nights I'm doing late night work for the party planning business."

"That's good. Vinessa's adjusting well."

"Definitely." Kevin readjusted his belt and gun. "How's Eva?"

"Much better. I've never been so scared in my life."

"Don't doubt it. Anything with kids is terrifying."

"You've got a point there." Antonio pulled into the driveway. "Well, let's go see what kind of trouble we can get into."

They quickly suited up. They grabbed their masks and black jackets. Antonio loaded up the backpack with what they'd need to break through the wall of the club for their escape. He then grabbed a shotgun and headed to the truck. He was point on this mission. Erin was staying in the truck as their get away driver. The others would secure the workers in the cutting room and grab the dope while Antonio would make sure that the manager would cooperate. Erin gunned the truck and they headed off into the night.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, there we have it folks! We're now right up to the first part of "Called in Dead". Let me know what you think. As for a timeline… let's assume that they met in late June, early July. That'll put us line for the timeline of the show. More to come soon! Lots of love! Nicole**_


	15. Stitches

_**A/N: Welcome back! So, we continue from "Called in Dead" and see what happens next! This chapter is based around the episode that was the end of the fall season and the winter premiere… tweaked it to follow the series but stays with my storyline too. All the best! Nicole :)**_

* * *

The sting had gone well. They were going after Blue and his thugs in the morning. Antonio had had the pleasure of taunting the club manager with the knowledge of who had really stolen the dope. They knew he'd flip because, honestly… who'd believe that the cops took their drugs. He packed up and headed home. He wanted to see the kids and Jes before they headed to P2K. They had started to get into a routine and he wanted to be a part of it. He wasn't even up the porch steps when Diego and Eva ran out to greet him.

"Hey! Guys… what's going on?"

"You're home." Eva sighed contently.

"Yes, yes, I'm home. I generally do come home." Antonio was confused. "Is everything okay?"

Jes appeared in the doorway. "They worry about you, Antonio."

He hugged the kids and ran up the steps to kiss Jes. "I know. I… I'm just not used to… to this…"

"Hey," She caressed his face. "This is our new reality. It's going to take time to get used to."

"You are amazing, you know that?"

"Someone's maybe mentioned that before… Detective." She grinned mischievously.

"Oh, Jes…" His voice was husky with desire.

"Uh… Dad?" Diego's voice came from behind him.

Antonio sighed. "Right, breakfast… let's go." He ruffled Diego's hair as he ran past him to the kitchen. "Come on, Eva. You need breakfast."

Eva was blushing. "Dad, I think you and Jes need to learn that we're still here."

"Hey, like Jes said… we're all still adjusting to our new lives."

Jes nodded. "Come on, let's get to those waffles before your brother devours them all, and all we've got left is bagels."

Eva grinned and ran into the house. Antonio looked to Jes. "You made these two waffles? I'll never get any." He laughed and took off after the kids.

Jes shook her head. "I think I have three kids instead of two kids and one boyfriend." She called after them. She watched as a black Escalade rolled down their street and she closed the door. "Hey, I want at least half a waffle!"

Once they'd had breakfast, Jes and Antonio went to shower and change while Diego and Eva cleared the table before getting ready to go to P2K with Jes.

Antonio was scrubbing Jes' back with body wash when she asked. "Do we know anyone with a black Escalade?"

"Other than Voight?"

"This one wasn't matte black. It was a really jacked up one."

Antonio stopped and turned Jes to face him. "When did you see this?"

"This morning. Saw it the other day when I was coming home from getting groceries at the market, too."

Antonio sighed. He grabbed the showerhead and rinsed her back. "Okay, none of my neighbours own one of those. Can you keep an eye out for it, and try and get a plate number for it?"

Jes nodded. "Worried about something, Antonio?"

He didn't want her to worry.

"No secrets, Antonio. Remember?"

He was caught between a rock and a hard place. "I just don't want it to be some guys casing the house… or some creeper stalking you."

"Or Laura sending her goon to come try something."

Antonio really hadn't wanted to go there. "There's that too. He's part of a Columbian cartel… anything's possible. Just promise me you'll keep an eye out?"

"I will. The kids will be fine too. I'll alternate my routes, and if I feel too at risk, I'll run a red light."

"Jay teach you that?"

Jes nodded as she wiped suds from his face. "Yeah. He said that being related to him, dating you… I was probably a bigger target than either of you."

"He has a point." He kissed her, but it was at that point when Diego started pounding on the door. "Què?"

"Dad, it's Uncle Jay. Says it's important."

"Uh… open the door and hand the phone to me." Antonio reached out of the shower and took his work cell. "Jay, what the hell is so important. We had until eleven."

"Voight has new info. He wants to move now… what's that noise?"

"Shower, Jay… with your sister."

"Okay… uh… I didn't need to know that. I'm… uh… see you when you get in." Jay hung up.

Antonio tossed the phone onto the towels. "I think I traumatized your brother."

Jes snickered. "He deserves it. He called when you weren't on duty yet."

"Let's go. Don't want you late for work either."

Jes turned off the water after one last, quick rinse. She grabbed the towels; careful not to drop Antonio's phone on the ground and handed Antonio his towel. "Hey, since this is the first real day that the kids are there with me for work. I don't know if they should call me 'Mom', 'Jes' or 'Miss B.' like everyone else."

"What are you most comfortable with?"

"I don't know. I'm kinda getting used to being mom… I like it, but at the same time, I don't want a target on them if the others find out…"

"Jes, you're over thinking this."

"Antonio, a lot of kids that come in… they're… they're running from gangs… the same gangs you're chasing."

Antonio wrapped the towel around his waist and thought about that. "Shit."

"Yeah."

"I hadn't thought about that." He brushed his hair and applied his deodorant. "Will it be known that they're my kids?"

"I don't use last names with the kids. So… no."

"Then, I think while you're there, they should call you whatever the other kids call you."

"Okay." Jes rubbed some mousse through her hair and quickly styled it. Her signature purple bangs swept to the side, she added a thin, shimmering headband. She left the bathroom and went to the closet. It had been rearranged so Jes and Antonio's stuff would be together. She pulled out a navy tunic-length sweater and a pair of skinny jeans. She quickly got dressed.

Antonio was in amazement at how fast Jes was able to get ready.

"What?" She asked, when she caught him staring.

"You get faster than most cops I know."

"I told you, teachers' move faster than most people realize." She pulled on the jeans and wrapped the cuffs before putting her socks over the cuffs. She grabbed her bag and turned to face him. "How is it, that I'm done and you're still in a towel?"

"I was admiring you." He bent down to kiss her.

"I'm going to be late, Detective."

"Can't have that." He kissed her again. "Go check on the kids, I'll meet you down there."

"You got it." She left the room and called out. "Diego? Eva? Ready to go?"

"Almost!" Came the replies.

She snickered and went down to put together lunches. While there was a perfectly functioning kitchen at P2K, she didn't want to take advantage of it. She wanted things to stay normal as much as it could. Jacquie had texted saying she was running late. Her car wouldn't start because the battery was dead. She was waiting on AAA to come give a boost. Jes sighed. Winter was here, and it was here with a vengeance. She was used to this. She pulled out her winter coat and gloves. The kids soon appeared and Jes asked them to pull out their winter coats, gloves and toques.

"Their what?" Antonio asked as he came into the family room.

"Toques."

"What the hell is that?"

She pulled out hers. "This is a toque."

"That's a beanie."

Diego and Eva just looked at each other. "Language barrier."

Antonio asked. "What's that mean? We're both speaking English."

"Obviously not the same dialect." Jes laughed. "In Canada, these are called toques. Down here, I guess you guys still call them beanies."

"Ah."

"Whatever they're called, the kids need them." She pulled on her boots. "I have to go in sooner… so you guys ready?"

"Yup." Diego was zipping up his coat while Eva was slipping on her boots.

Antonio hugged them all. He kissed Jes. "Be safe out there."

"I will be. Watch your back. We'll see you tonight." She kissed him again before grabbing her bag and the lunches.

"Always. Love you guys." He said as they walked into the garage to her Journey.

"Love you too!" They called as they piled in and Jes opened the garage door and pulled out.

He turned back to the house. It felt great to have his family back, but something was eating out him. He finished getting ready and headed back to the district. He wanted this case over with. It was getting close to Christmas and Jes was getting antsy to start planning the very large Dawson Christmas party.

* * *

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* * *

They had wrapped up the case and paperwork was being filled out when Jay burst back into Intelligence. "Voight!"

"Jay?" Erin grabbed his arm. "What's the emergency?"

"Voight! Platt's got news. She needs us… now!"

The whole bullpen was up in arms when Voight finally emerged from his office.

"What the fuck is all this ruckus about?" Voight demanded.

"Burgess has been shot." Jay collapsed. "We gotta go. Now!"

Adam didn't even wait for the orders; he was gone down the stairs. Antonio bee lined after him. Atwater was right on his heels. They tore out of the parking lot.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes and the kids made quick work of the assignments that were meant to catch them up to where the rest of their levelled classmates would be.

"Mo… Miss B." Diego had to fight to not call her mom.

"Yes, Diego?" Jes felt for him. She wanted to be his mom here, but for the kids' safety, it had to be this way.

"I really like this learning over being in a real classroom."

"I'm glad. Learning one-on-one is usually easier for a lot of people. Now, seeing as you're all done this, I recommend a little rec time. Maybe a few rounds of boxing?"

"Sounds great." Diego fought the urge to hug her. He put away his things and headed next door to Matador's to box with one of Antonio's more trusted trainers.

Jes moved on to where Eva was still working on a history assignment. "How's it going?"

Eva smiled. "Good. It's nice to not have a bunch of people breathing down my neck because I want to take my time."

"Take however long you need. I have to go do rounds. If you need anything, ask Miss Lennox or Mr. P." Jes headed out to check on the other kids that had turned up after school. There were different groups of tutoring. A group of kids were playing street hockey as the snow lightly fell. She watched as Vinessa and some other girls her age laughed and giggled over the dance lesson that was going on in the studio. It was a great feeling. These kids weren't going to be on the streets or in the gangs causing trouble. She was heading past the street hockey game when she thought she saw that black Escalade again. She tried to get a look at the licence plate, but it was obscured by the snow. It took off as soon as the driver saw she was paying too much attention. She headed back to see Jacquie running towards her.

"Jes!"

"Jacquie? What's wrong? Are the kids…"

"The kids are fine. Antonio's on the phone for you. Sounds important." Jacquie handed her P2K's cordless phone. "He's calling the landline… it's gotta be serious."

"Antonio?" Jes asked, panic creeping in her voice.

"Jes… Kim's been shot."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes ran to her office. The kids didn't need to hear any of this. "What do you mean?"

"She was doing security checks… she went to the door… shot gun… she's on the way to Med now."

"Is she okay?"

Antonio's voice was shaking. "Not… not sure. It was a lot… like… like when my old partner…"

Jes knew about Julie, how she'd bled out in his arms. "She's going to be okay. Do you… you want us to come?"

"No… no. Kevin wants… would like Jacquie to keep Vinessa away from this and makes sure she doesn't hear the news. Kevin and Kim were partners for a long time, Vinessa's close with her."

"Got it." The realization set in. "You're not coming home tonight."

"Not until this bastard's caught."

"Okay." Jes whispered. "Um, I'll get Jacquie and Vinessa to stay with us… at our place… this way two of us can keep the three kids distracted."

"Hey, baby… you okay?"

"Uh, yeah… um."

"Jes, what's wrong?"

"I thought I saw that Escalade again. I tried to get the plate, like you asked… but he took off. I think he… well I think it's a he… the driver probably saw me watching him."

"Okay. I'm sending a unit over there. I don't like this. It's too much of a coincidence. With all this, and Kim… there aren't that many jacked up black Escalades in Chicago anyhow..."

"Antonio… you're rambling." Jes tried to calm him down.

"I'm sorry… just this whole thing."

"If you want to send a unit, send one. I'm not about stop you. Focus on Kim and catching that son-of-a-bitch. I'll worry about our kids."

Antonio's breathing slowed. "You said 'our' kids."

"They are our kids, aren't they."

"Definitely. I'll call you when I have an update. I've gotta go." Jes could hear a bunch of commotion in background. "I love you."

"I love you, Antonio. Be safe."

The call ended. Jes was in shock. She looked at the clock. P2K was open for another two. Two more hours of holding back tears for a friend. Two more hours of having to hide the worry for her brother, for her boyfriend… for her whole new family. She took a deep breath to regain her composure. She left her office, cell phone in pocket and the landline clipped to her belt. She went to shuffle the schedule, seeing as some of the key instructors weren't going to be in tonight for activities. She asked Mr. P to reorganize the sporting activities so that all the kids that wanted to do sports could be in the gym playing dodgeball. She also met up with Lexi, Al's daughter. "Hey, Lexi. I didn't realize you were in tonight?"

"I switched with Roxy. She has a major Chem exam tomorrow that she's freaking out about."

"That's okay. I'm glad you guys still focus on school."

Lexi laughed. "You've met my dad, right?"

"Yep. So, you wanna take a group and do some artsy stuff tonight? Or set up karaoke."

"I think I'll do karaoke tonight." She smiled. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired. It's been a long day."

"Gotcha. See you around, Jes." Lexi waved as she headed to gather up the kids that wanted to do music.

Jes smiled. It was nice to have some of the older kids come in and work for volunteer hours. She'd gladly write letters of recommendation for college and university if it meant these kids were going to be safe and helping better Chicago. Finally, she could talk to Jacquie.

"So, what's going on?" Jacquie whispered.

"Uh, let's… uh… let's go see how supper's going?" Jes took Jacquie's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen.

"Jes?" Jacquie asked, out of breath when they arrived.

Jes looked around and saw that no one was there, finally answered. "Kim was shot."

"What?" Jacquie's jaw dropped. "When? How? What happened?"

Jes knew that Kim was closer to Jacquie than to her, but it was her connection with Kevin that made that possible. Jes took her arms. "Antonio couldn't tell me much. She's at Chicago Med." Jes wasn't going to tell her that Antonio had compared Kim's injuries to Julie's. "Kevin, Adam and Antonio are all over it. Hank won't let the monster that did this get away with it."

"What about Vinessa, Diego… Eva?"

"Antonio told me not to tell them anything and to make sure the news was off."

"Okay. Then what?"

"You guys are gonna come to our place. We'll keep the kids preoccupied and pray that they solve this sooner rather than later. There's only so much we can do to hide this from them." Jes stopped when she heard the kitchen doors open.

"Miss B?" Tanya, a regular attendee was there. "Are we still doing culinary today?"

Jes nodded. "Definitely. Go, get the others. Miss Lennox and I are gonna start pulling out the stuff."

"Sure thing, Miss. B." Tanya hopped off.

"We gotta keep our heads on straight right now, Jacquie. You know that, right?"

Jacquie nodded. Her breathing was shaky. "Yeah." She took a couple deep breaths and steadied herself. "Oh…" She pointed to the kitchen door. "Hey, Nadia."

"Hey. Um, Antonio asked me to come by. Help out?"

"You any good at cooking?" Jes hugged her.

"Decent… I think." Nadia laughed nervously.

"That's all good. We're making chicken fajitas. We could use an extra hand." Jacquie smiled. "Thanks for coming."

"Anything to help."

Jes got them to help her set up the kitchen. There were different stations that each group would work at. They set out the ingredients and waited as the kids came slowly came in. Once everyone was set up and had washed their hands, Jes set out the basic instructions for today's recipe.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

The next three days were hard on everyone. It was the weekend, so P2K wasn't open due to familial reasons. Or, at least that's what's they told people. Some of the volunteers went in strictly for sporting activities. Vinessa had figured it out when Kevin didn't come home. She was inconsolable. She thought of Kim as a sister. Jacquie did the best she could to console her. Jes took the kids to Jacquie's since Vinessa refused to leave until Kevin came home. Jes ensured her that everything was going to be fine. Eva and Diego did the best they could to calm her. Jes texted Antonio to have him call her. She paced around the living room. Jacquie just went between the kitchen and checking on the kids.

Jes was busy making stew in the kitchen when her cell finally went off. She dropped the knife and quickly answered it. "Antonio?"

"No, it's Jay."

"Jay? Is everything okay? Is Antonio…"

"He's fine. He's trying to keep Kevin from falling to pieces. Between Kevin and Adam, this whole Burgess this is wreaking havoc."

"How is she?"

Jay sighed. "She's fighting. Platt's staying with her while we deal with finding this son-of-a-bitch."

Jes heaved a sigh. "I know it's your job, but… this… this is why I worry about you guys on the job."

"I know, Jes. I'm sorry I don't have more news." Jes could hear the pain in her brother's voice.

"Jay, is there something else?"

"Jes…"

"No… Jay. Enough. What's going on?"

"Erin, Adam, Sean and I almost got blown up today. We're onto the…"

"Jay Halstead!" She screeched.

"This is why I don't tell you." He took a deep breath and listened as someone came and told him something about a location. "We're fine… Look, we got the guy. Now, we gotta go rescue the last victim before he blows her to smithereens."

"Jay…"

"I'm going to be careful, Jes. I promise. Antonio and Kevin will be home once we get this woman back. I guarantee you."

"I'm holding you to it, Jay."

"I love you, Jes."

"Love you too, big brother." She sobbed as she ended the call.

"Mom?" Eva stood in the doorway. "Is… is Dad okay?"

Jes turned. "Oh, Eva. Of course he is. It's… it's just I'm having a hard time dealing… it'll be fine. Come here." Jes pulled her into a tight hug. "Your Dad is making sure Kevin and Adam don't lose it right now."

Eva looked up at her. "Is Kim going to be okay?"

"Yeah. She is doing fine. Sergeant Platt's with her, and Adam's headed there. She'll be okay."

"Can I tell that to Vinessa?"

Jes stroked her hair. "Yeah. That might help her feel a little better. I'm gonna make some supper okay?"

"Thanks, Mom."

Jes felt bad that she couldn't give any more information. She didn't want to make them more upset. She wiped her eyes and went back to preparing the salmon for the grill.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio was able to breathe again once Jay had diffused the bomb. He and Kevin had been forced to deal with the lunatic who had started all this mess. Adam had called Kevin to tell him that Kim was awake and was going to be okay. Kevin was thrilled. He collapsed against his locker and wept.

"Hey, Atwater. She's going to be fine."

"I know. Bro, she's… she was my partner for the entire time I've been on the force… until I moved up. I couldn't lose her."

"Kevin, look at me." Antonio grasped his shoulder. "Let's go to Jacquie's. The kids need us. Vinessa hasn't been able to eat or sleep since she found out about Kim. She needs her big brother home."

Kevin looked up at him in horror. "What?"

"Jacquie, Jes and my kids have been there since the night Kim got shot. Vinessa needs you. She needs to hear your voice reassure her that Kim is going to live and be able to see her again soon."

"Does she… does she know I'm okay?"

"Jes and Jacquie tried to tell her, but she won't listen to anyone but you."

"Let's go then." Kevin grabbed his coat and bag.

"That's more like it." Antonio grabbed his bag and chased after Kevin. They met up in the parking lot. "Get in. We can pick up your truck later."

Kevin nodded and jumped in the passenger side. Antonio put the truck in drive and headed straight for Ravenswood.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio pulled up behind Jes' Journey. He killed the engine and ran for the door. He needed to see his kids. He need to see Jes. These last three days had been torture for him. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it had been like for them. He rang the bell, but didn't even wait for anyone to come to the door.

"Jes?! Eva?! Diego?!" He called out.

"Daddy!" He could hear his children running down the stairs to meet him.

"Antonio!" Jes surprised him by throwing herself at him.

"Jes!" He exclaimed. He held her tightly, spinning her. "Oh, baby." He kissed her. "I missed you. God, I missed you."

"I'm so happy you're home."

He could feel her tears. He lifted her chin. "Babe, don't cry. I'm safe. I'm alive. We're all okay. We're home."

"Kevin's back?" Vinessa's hoarse whisper came from the top of the stairs. She was holding Eva's hand.

Antonio could feel the tears forming in his own eyes. "Yeah, Vinessa. He's coming right behind me."

Kevin stepped through the door, right at that moment. "'Nessa!" He fell to his knees as Vinessa flew down the stairs and into his arms.

"Kevin! I was so scared!"

"I know. I'm home." He held her tightly. He looked up and saw Jacquie at the top of the staircase. "Baby." Jacquie ran to him. He stood up, Vinessa still in his arms. He embraced his family tightly. "I'm home. We're gonna be okay."

Vinessa stared at him. "Is Kim going to be okay?"

"Yeah. Adam called. She's awake and she'll be fine. Just needs to recover, but she'll be coming home soon."

Vinessa let out a shout. "Thank God!"

The whole house burst into laughter. Eva and Diego ran to Antonio and Jes. They threw themselves into their father's arms. He whispered to them in Spanish. Jes just held her family. She glanced out of the open door and that's when she saw it.

"Antonio!" She cried out as she saw the black Escalade roll to a stop in front of the house.

Everything else was in slow motion. He threw himself against Jes and the kids. He laid flat on top of them. He'd rather take another bullet than risk his kids. He heard the rapid-fire popping of an automatic weapon. He kicked back, hoping to shut the door. Kevin had shoved Jacquie to the side, out of the range of the bullets and he dove for the family room. He had to protect his sister. As quickly as it had started, the rain of bullets ended. Antonio slowly got up. Jes was covering Eva and Diego's bodies with her own. He helped her get up. The kids were shaken but, they were unscathed. His heart was racing. Jes ran to check on Jacquie.

"I'm fine." Jacquie coughed. "My ribs hurt a little, but I think being hip-checked into the floor by my boyfriend is to blame for that."

"I'll say." Jes helped her up.

"Where is he?" Jacquie looked around.

"Kevin?!" Antonio shouted.

"We're in the family room. We're all good." Kevin groaned. "Bruised, but we're okay. They gone?"

"I think so." Antonio looked around.

"Dad?" Diego pointed to the floor. "Someone's bleeding!"

Antonio looked him and Eva over. He then checked Jes and Jacquie. Then it hit him. He could feel a burning in his back and shoulder. He didn't have time to cry out. He hit the floor like a bag of bricks.

"Antonio!" Jes ran to him.

"Daddy!" The kids ran towards him.

A squeal of tires made Jacquie throw herself against the Dawson kids. Another wave of bullets flew into the house. Jes screamed. She covered Antonio with her body. He'd already taken a bullet for her… she wasn't about to let him do it a second time. She felt a burn of something hitting her arm, but she didn't pay any attention to it because her sole focus was the man she loved. A screech of tires on pavement followed by sirens pierced the night. Jes looked towards Jacquie. Jacquie was in the corner with Eva and Diego. She was shaking. The sirens faded into the night in pursuit of the gunmen.

"Jes?!" Jay's voice came through the remains of the door. "Jes!"

"We're here!" Jes cried out. "Antonio's hit."

Jay burst through the door. He saw the destruction. "Where's Kevin?"

"Here, bro." Kevin crept into the main entryway.

"Where's Vinessa?" Jacquie asked.

"Hiding under the couch."

Jacquie nodded and pulled Eva and Diego away from their father. "Come on. Let's go with Vinessa."

"Dad!" Diego tried to pull away. "Mom… is he gonna be okay?"

"I'm not… I'm not sure, Diego." Jes could feel the tears flow freely down her cheeks. "Go with Jacquie and your sister. Go keep safe."

"I've got your dad, buddy." Jay reinforced Jes' thoughts. "He's gonna be okay."

Diego accepted this and quickly led Jacquie, Eva and Vinessa to the basement to be safe. Jay turned to Jes. "Go with the kids."

Jes shook her head. "No. NO WAY! I'm not leaving him."

"Jes, you need to be safe." Kevin tried to persuade her to go with the kids.

"Not until… no… I'm not leaving him." She wiped away her tears on the sleeve of her sweater. She turned to Jay. "How'd you know to come?"

"I didn't. I was trying to call you guys, but no one answered. I… I just drove here. Then I heard the shots fired call on the radio…"

Jes put the rest together. "Where's the ambo?"

Soon Sylvie and Peter were in the doorway.

"Just Antonio's been shot?" Peter asked.

"I think so." Jes was shaking.

Jay touched her arm and she flinched away. He looked at her. "Are you hit?"

"No!" She pulled away. "Just, just save Antonio. I'm fine."

"Jes, you're not fine!" Jay could see blood staining the sleeve of her sweater. "You're hit."

"Save Antonio!" She screamed. "Without him… just…"

"Jes." Sylvie stepped in. "Let me look at it, and you'll come in the ambo with us."

Jes froze. "Promise."

"He's your man, we're not gonna stop you. He needs you, but you need to get this arm looked at." Sylvie looked to Jay. He nodded.

"Let them get Antonio on the stretcher and we're going to get you both to Med." Jay took her hand. "I promise."

"The kids?"

"I'll make sure they're safe." His radio started to squawk, so he turned up the volume.

"Shooting offenders in custody. One injured. Roll an ambo."

"Jes, they got them. Voight's got this. No one, and I mean no one is going to get away with this."

She nodded. "Get the kids. Keep them safe."

He nodded. Sylvie and Peter signalled that they were ready to go. Antonio had been intubated and hooked up to a heart monitor and an IV.

"Jes," Peter said. "He's stable… for now… but we really gotta move. Okay?"

She nodded weakly and quickly followed them to the waiting ambulance. Sylvie hit the lights and sirens. Soon, they were screaming off into the night.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay went to the basement with Kevin. Eva was weeping in the corner, while Diego was pacing. Vinessa was clinging to Jacquie. Kevin ran to his family while Jay went to Diego and Eva.

"Dad?" Eva asked hoarsely.

"He and Jes… they're on the way to Chicago Med. She wants me to bring you guys."

"Are they okay?" Eva asked. Diego was still pacing.

"They'll be fine. They'll be even better once they can see you guys. So, let's go. I'll put on the lights and we'll be there in no time."

"Did they catch them, Uncle Jay?"

"They did. They're not going to be hurting anyone anymore. I promise you that."

They headed to Jay's car and they too headed off into the night.

Jacquie turned to Kevin. "What the hell is going on here?"

Kevin shook his head. "I have no fucking idea. If I did, I'd tell you. I think we should get Vinessa and you to a hotel."

Jacquie nodded. She knew that this was a risk of his job, but she never thought they'd be the target. She kissed Kevin. "I'll grab some stuff." She headed upstairs.

"Kevin?" Vinessa whispered.

"Yeah." He hugged his sister tightly.

"Why did this happen?"

"I don't know 'Nessa. If I did, you bet your bottom dollar that I woulda stopped it before it even had the chance of happening."

Vinessa nodded. "Was it that black SUV?"

Kevin stopped in his tracks. "What black SUV?"

"The one that's been hanging around P2K."

"How long this been going on, Vinessa?"

"A week… maybe a little longer." She whispered. She was scared she was in trouble.

"Sweetie, I'm not mad… Just tell me."

"Well, it's usually there after school. The other day, when Kim got shot… it would come and go all day."

"All day?"

Vinessa nodded.

"Did you tell Jes, or Jacquie?"

"No. I thought I was going crazy."

"Okay, sweetheart. It's okay. Let's get you and Jacquie to a hotel. We'll patch up the house and then we can come back. Okay?"

Vinessa nodded again. "Will we be safe here, again?"

"Definitely." Kevin hugged her tightly. "I ain't ever gonna let anything happen to you or Jacquie. I love you guys too much."

Vinessa smiled. "You should marry her."

"Beg your pardon?" Kevin stared at her. "What did you just say?"

"You should marry Jacquie."

"You really think so?"

Vinessa giggled. "You're already living together… she loves you… you love her… maybe you should just, ya know… make it official."

"You are sneaky, 'lil sis." He smiled. "We'll talk about it more. Later. Now, let's go help Jacquie and get outta here."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes held Antonio's hand all the way to the hospital. He hadn't regained consciousness yet. "Baby, come on. Wake up." She whispered.

Peter felt bad for them. He knew how hard it was to watch someone you love be like this. He asked. "Can I finish looking at your arm? Please, Jes. We don't want you getting an infection." Jes nodded. She switched hands that she was holding Antonio's with and gave Peter her dominant arm. He cut the sleeve of her sweater open to expose it. "Well, good news." He smiled. "It's just a graze. You'll need to get stitches, but it's nothing too serious."

"Thanks, Peter." She smiled as he gently bandaged the wound. She turned back to Antonio. "Why is he still out?"

"He probably went into shock." Peter replied calmly. "His adrenaline was pumping to save you, so he never felt the shot but once the adrenaline died, then… he collapsed."

"He's still okay?" She was looking at the monitors.

"So far… but there's no exit. That's the problem. He's gonna have the best doctors in Chicago taking care of him."

Jes nodded and wrapped both her hands around Antonio's. She began to recite the 'Hail Mary' and prayed that the man she loved would be alright.

"We're here!" Sylvie called from the front as the ambulance came to a stop.

The back doors flew open and Antonio's stretcher was pulled out and wheeled into the trauma bay.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes had just finished getting stitches when Jay showed up with the kids.

"Mom!" They cried out as they ran to her.

She knelt down and hugged them tightly. "I'm okay. I'm okay."

"Where's Daddy?" Diego asked. It was the main thing on everyone's mind.

"In the trauma room." She whispered. She looked up at Jay. "Did they get them?"

Jay nodded. "They got 'em."

"Who are they? Or were they… are they still alive?"

"For now, but once Voight gets his hands on them, I don't know how long they'll still be breathing."

Jes shuddered. "Okay, I'm just gonna get the paperwork for me to be discharged and we'll go check on your dad, okay?"

The kids nodded. They went to sit in the waiting area with Jay, who had been joined by Gaby. Sylvie had called her as soon as they pulled into Chicago Med.

April Sexton was just finishing paperwork as Jes approached her. "Hey, Miss Bellamy, you really should be in bed."

Jes shook her head. "Jes, please. I just want my paperwork so I can go and wait to hear news on my… my…"

April sighed. "Antonio? You're talking about Detective Antonio Dawson, right?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, okay. I get it. He's important to you, isn't he?" April gently took her by the elbow and led her back to the curtained area where she'd been stitched up. April checked out the stiches and reapplied the gauze and bandage.

"I love him. He's everything to me. His kids, they're here… they're out there with my brother."

"Jay Halstead's your brother?"

Jes laughed. "Yeah. His mom adopted me when my parents died before I was done high school."

"You just never changed your last name."

"Exactly."

"Fair enough. Antonio's got the best working on him. He's a tough cookie. He's gonna pull through this." April handed her the prescription that the doctor had left for Jes. "Fill this ASAP and take one pill twice a day. It's to make sure you don't get any infection in there."

"Thanks."

"No problem." April turned suddenly when she heard Diego and Eva call out.

"Mom!"

"Uh…?" April looked to Jes in confusion.

"I'm their step-mom… they just… I gotta go check on them."

April nodded and let Jes run by her to the waiting area. Jes ran to them. "What's going on?"

"They just brought the crash cart into Dad's room!"

Jes turned to April. April, knowing just how important Antonio was in the big picture that was Chicago PD ran to the trauma room to get news. Jes followed her. She needed to know that Antonio was going to be okay. She cried out when she saw the doctor shock his chest. April turned back to stop her from rushing into the trauma bay.

"Jes, no. Let them work on him."

"They said he was fine. That he was going to be…" Jes wept. "I have to… Please!"

Jay ran to his sister, praying that Gaby would be staying with the kids. "Jes!" He took her into his arms. "What's…" His voice trailed off when he saw that the doctors and nurses were pounding on Antonio's chest. He tried to pull Jes away from the trauma room doors. "Jes, you don't … you don't need to see that."

"Jay! Let me go! I need to see him!" She struggled against her brother's grasp but to no avail. "I… I can't lose him."

"Jes, listen to your brother." April helped Jay steady Jes on her feet. "Let's get all of you somewhere quiet."

They moved out of the way in time as Dr. Hannah Tramble barked orders, all the while performing CPR on Antonio. Jes tried to pull away from April and Jay to get to him, but they were stronger than her. She cried out and fell to her knees. Jay held on to her.

"Jes," April whispered. "You ripped your stitches. Let's go get this fixed. We'll bring Eva and Diego with you." April signalled to Gaby to bring the weeping children with them. She quickly got Jes' doctor back to fix the stitches. "Jes, Eva, Diego… I'm gonna go and try and get some news on your dad, okay? I'll be right back. You need to stay here though."

They all nodded. Jes tried to stop the flow of tears because she needed to be strong for the kids, but it was too fucking hard.

* * *

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* * *

What seemed like forever was only six hours. Soon, Dr. Tramble and April returned to talk to Jes and the kids. Eva and Diego were asleep on the bed, while Gaby and Jay comforted Jes. The adults stood up as soon as the doctor stood in the doorway. Her face was emotionless. Jes couldn't tell if this would be good news or terrible news.

"Hi Jes." Dr. Tramble extended her hand. Jes shook it. "Gaby. Jay."

"Doc." Jay said simply. "Any news?"

Dr. Tramble signalled for them to sit. "Antonio is out of surgery."

A small cry escaped Jes' lips. Gaby took her hands in hers and squeezed them. Jay repositioned himself to be standing behind Jes in case she needed him. The kids were still sound asleep.

Dr. Tramble offered a small smile. "It was touch and go for a little bit. Uh, initially the bullets entered his back near the scapula and between his fourth and five rib. We got the bullets, but one nicked the pulmonary vein and the other nicked the cephalic vein. When we removed them, he started to bleed more. The bullets had been staunching the flow. When that happen, his right lung collapsed. He started to bleed out. That's why we rushed him to surgery."

"Was it successful? Is he going to be okay? Tell us something!" Jes pleaded.

Dr. Tramble nodded. "Yeah. He's gonna hurt like hell for the next little while, but he's gonna be fine."

"Oh thank God!" Gaby exclaimed. "When can we see him?"

"I'll take you guys up in about an hour when they move him from recovery." April offered.

"Thank you, so much." Jay shook both their hands. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Dr. Tramble smiled and left the room.

April turned back to them. "I have a large crew of people in the waiting area waiting to talk to you."

"Who?"

"I'm almost certain that all of House 51, District 21 and a whole flock of reporters are out there."

"Why?" Jes was confused.

Jay looked between April and Gaby. He finally answered her. "Because you are everything to this city. Your work with P2K is so important."

"I don't want to be that important." Jes wept. "I just want my family back together in one piece."

"I'll go deal with the media, but I think you should let some of the cops and firefighters out there come see you and the kids." April offered.

Jes sighed. "Okay."

Jay followed April to help dispel the crowd of reporters. Gaby helped Jes to wake up the kids so they could get the news on Antonio. Soon, Kevin, Vinessa, and the rest of Intelligence, along with Kim and Sean were in the room. They were followed closely by Matt, Mouch, Hermann and Chief Boden from Firehouse 51. Jes and Gaby explained the news on Antonio to everyone. There was great relief from everyone. As quickly as they had come, they left to go deal with the aftermath. Jay looked to Voight who nodded. Once they could see Antonio, the bastards who had done this would be paying the price.

* * *

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* * *

Jes paced uneasily in the waiting area. Antonio had just been brought to his room. Voight had insisted on having security set up outside Antonio's room as well as the Dawson home… even if no one was there. They weren't about to risk anything. Olinsky and Ruzek were also staying at the hospital undercover. They were the definite guarantee that nothing was going to happen to Jes, Antonio or the kids. Jay had gone with Voight and Erin to deal the scumbags that had shot up Jacquie's house. Kevin had taken Vinessa and Jacquie back to the hotel. He had called up a couple of his buddies to suit up and keep on eye on his family. He couldn't ask the CPD to do, because they were still spread too thinly. Roman and his temporary partner, Sanchez, were the ones assigned to guard Antonio's room. Jes stopped pacing long enough to check on the kids. April had gotten them into the staff lounge across the hall from Antonio to keep them occupied. Jay, Gaby and Jes had tried to persuade them to go to Gaby and Sylvie's but they weren't going to budge. Jes settled on having Gaby call her parents. Gaby hadn't wanted to, but she eventually caved knowing that someone needed to be with the kids and someone needed to keep an eye on Jes. Gaby walked up to Jes and hugged her.

"Hey, any news?" Gaby asked.

"They're just settling him in now." Jes looked through the glass doors. Antonio looked so frail. She cried.

Gaby pulled her in tightly. "Shh. It'll be okay, sis, you'll see. Antonio's tough."

Jes sniffled. "I know, but just seeing him like this."

"It's not easy, and it sure as hell doesn't get easier." Gaby wiped a tear from her cheek. "This is the third time I have to see him like this."

"Fuck!" Jes exclaimed.

"Jes?"

"It's my fault."

"Just how, exactly, is it your fault?" Gaby carefully held her by the shoulders, mindful of the 4-inch gash that was on Jes' left upper arm.

"I tried to get the plate of the Escalade. I told Antonio about it… the day Kim was shot. I asked if it could be one of our neighbours. He told me no, so I should try to get a plate number for him to run down. I couldn't see the plate… and now… now he's fighting for his life." Jes wept. She collapsed against Gaby.

Gaby brought her to the chairs right next to Antonio's room. "Jes, this isn't your fault. Trust me. Antonio did this to protect you."

"He shouldn't have to take a bullet for me. No one should." Jes sobbed. "I'm not worth it."

Gaby grabbed Jes' face between her hands. "Jeslyn! Snap out of it! You are so worth it."

"How?" Jes was beyond consoling now.

Gaby was about to explain when she heard her parents' voices. "Mami, Papi? Can you come here?"

Constanza and Emmanuel rushed to them. "Dios mio! What's happening?" Constanza asked.

"Jeslyn thinks she's to blame for Antonio being shot." Gaby moved aside to let her parents in. She had been talking them lately. Jes had been the subject of most of those conversations. They cared for Jes, so maybe they'd be the ones to get through to her. "I'm going to go check on Eva and Diego."

Constanza took Jes' hands in hers. "Mi amor, how is it your fault? Did you put the gun to him and pull the trigger?"

Jes' head jolted up and her expression was one of horror. "No! I'd never!"

"Then, bella, it's not your fault." Emmanuel sighed. "Antonio loves you. Probably more than he ever loved the other one." He couldn't bring himself to say Laura's name, as if it were poison. "He'd die for you."

"But that's the problem! He almost did… for nothing. I'm not… I'm not worth it."

"Jes, my son worships you." Constanza said. "He wants his life intertwined with yours. My grandchildren adore you. **You** are their mother now. You are worth it. You don't value yourself as much as those who surround you."

"Señora Dawson…" Jes started.

"Mami, or Mom… none of this Señora business. You are familia now."

"Mami… I've never… I've never thought of myself that way."

"Because you are selfless." Emmanuel smiled. "You care more for others and their wellbeing. It's why you are so wonderful with children."

"Trust us." Constanza squeezed her hands. "Antonio will want you by his side when he wakes up. Don't blame yourself. This wasn't your fault, or Antonio's… or anyone's but the gunmen's. Sergeant Voight will see that they are dealt with. I guarantee that."

"Thank you Mami." Jes smiled. "I'm… I'm sorry you have to go through all this again."

"He is strong. You are strong. Together, you are unbreakable. Pray. God listens to those faithful in their time of need." Constanza got up.

Jes stood up and hugged her. "Thank you."

"Thank you." Emmanuel said as he hugged her back. "We'll keep a close eye on the children. Come give us news when he wakes up."

"Certainly… Papi."

Emmanuel laughed. "You catch on fast. You are definitely a part of our family."

The elder Dawson couple went to be with their grandchildren while Gaby re-joined Jes.

"You feeling better?" Gaby asked as they watched the nurses hook Antonio's wires and oxygen from the portable system to the one connected to his room.

"Your parents are very… determined."

"Why do you think Antonio's so bull-headed?"

Jes stifled a laugh. "I'm pretty sure it's more than genetics."

April approached them. "You guys can go in now. He's still on a ventilator. Once the anesthetic is out of his system and he breathes over the vent, we'll pull it. That could be a little while. If he wakes up, buzz us immediately. We don't want him freaking out and pulling out his chest tube or ripping his stitches."

"You got it." Jes smiled. "I just… thank you." Jes hugged April.

"You're welcome. I'm around until morning… I'll come in and check on y'all before I leave if I haven't been in before then." She walked away to check on other patients.

Gaby let Jes go in first. She watched as Jes slowly approached her brother's bedside. She'd seen this twice before and this time was different. Jes cared, genuinely cared about Antonio. Laura… she had been something else. Jes took the seat closest to the bed and gently took Antonio's hand. Gaby took the other chair and went to sit next to Jes. She knew that this was going to be hard for Jes, but she also needed to know that she wasn't alone in this. She also definitely needed to know that this wasn't her fault.

"Antonio, baby. I'm here… Gaby and I are both here now. You're going to be okay." Jes whispered in his ear as she gently kissed his cheek. "I'm here." They sat there for what seemed like eternity. Jes told him that the kids were safe and that they'd caught the guys. Gaby had gone to check on the kids and her parents. Jes began to doze off. Suddenly, machines started beeping. Jes jolted awake. She saw Antonio was awake and she could see the panic in his eyes. "Baby… stop. It's okay." She reached over and hit the call button. "You're okay." She stroked his hair. "I'm here."

He began to calm down as April and Dr. Tramble ran into the room.

"Detective Dawson, can you hear us?" Dr. Tramble asked.

He nodded.

"Okay, that's a great sign. I'm Doctor Hannah Tramble, and this is Nurse April Sexton. You had us worried."

He squeezed Jes' hand. She squeezed back.

"Now, we'll take that breathing tube out… but you gotta promise that you're gonna listen to everything we tell you and you're gonna be a good patient."

He nodded.

"Jes, can you excuse us while we do this?"

Jes nodded and was about to get up when Antonio grabbed her hand. She looked to them. April whispered something to Dr. Tramble, who nodded.

"Okay, she can stay, but she'll have to back up so we can have a little room to work. Is that okay, Detective?"

Antonio nodded, a tear slid down his cheek. April wiped it away. She leaned in and whispered. "Antonio, you've got one hell of a woman. She fought for you. You better listen to what the doc says, because I think she'll throttle you if you don't."

Antonio gave a little smile. Doctor Tramble explained what she was going to do step by step. She and April got ready to pull the breathing tube out.

"Now," Dr. Tramble sighed. "You shouldn't talk for a little bit once the tubes out. We don't want you to do damage to your throat. We'll get you some ice chips and when we feel you're ready, we'll give the go ahead. Got it?"

He nodded. Jes smiled from the foot of his bed. "I'm right here, baby." She watched as they pulled the breathing tube. She remembered when they had pulled hers out all those years ago. Her throat had been raw. Dr. Tramble was about to do her post-op exam. "I'm gonna go get some of those ice chips. I'll be right back." She squeezed Antonio's foot in reassurance. "I love you, Antonio." She went out to get a glass with ice.

Gaby jogged up to her. "What's going on?"

Jes filled the glass with ice. "He's awake. They just pulled the breathing tube, so I'm getting some ice. I know how sore his throat will be."

Gaby was curious as to how Jes knew what that was like, but that would be a question for another day. "He's okay?"

"Dr. Tramble is doing her post-op exam right now. He's alive. He recognized me. He didn't want me to leave when they took… the… the tube out." Jes couldn't hold in the tears anymore. "I'm sorry."

Gaby pulled Jes in for a tight hug. "You're only human, sis. You love him. It's okay to feel this way. Trust me." She tilted Jes' chin up. "He's going to be okay. He'll heal better because you'll be there with him."

Jes smiled and wiped away her tears. "Thanks, sis."

"He better realize that that's his third life… if he's like a cat, he's only got six more left."

Jes snickered. "I'll tell him that. Let the others know… ya know, that he's up?"

"You got it." Gaby hugged her. "By the way, whether he realizes it or not, you two are meant to be together… you're my sister now. We're family." She headed off to tell Diego and Eva that Antonio was awake.

Jes took the ice and headed quickly back to Antonio. Dr. Tramble was just finishing her exam. "Just in time." Dr. Tramble smiled.

"How's he doing?"

"He's going to be fine. He needs time off… at least a month, maybe two. He'll need some rehab for his should and be very careful with his right side. That lung is going to take quite a bit of time to heal." Dr. Tramble checked the incisions on his back. "I'm keeping him on pain meds and antibiotics for the next little while. We'll keep giving him oxygen, just to be safe. We'll give you guys some time alone. And, Antonio… don't make me have to come in here again because you won't listen."

Antonio saluted her and gave a thumb up. He reached for Jes. Jes took his hand and sat next to him. She put an ice cube to his lips. He took it in his mouth and slowly let the ice soothe his throat. "Thank you." He mouthed.

"You got it." Jes kissed him gently. "Now, Gaby asked me to remind you that as a cat, you've used up three of your nine lives."

Antonio laughed a little, but tried not to move as he still had a chest tube draining any excess fluids and blood from his surgery. "It hurts." He whispered hoarsely.

"Hey, no talking." Jes chastised him as she gave him another ice chip. "I don't… I don't want to lose you."

He squeezed her hand. "Not going anywhere." He looked around the room. "Kids?"

"They're with Gaby and your parents. April arranged to have them be in the staff lounge across the hall. Uh Roman and Sanchez are outside keeping watch here. Al and Adam are undercover making sure this whole place is secure. Hank, Jay and Erin… we'll they're with the assholes that did this. Kevin took Jacquie and Vinessa to the hotel." She stroked his cheek. "I was so scared."

Antonio knew exactly what she meant. He also felt horrible that she had had to go through this. He looked her over to make sure she was okay. That's when he saw the blood on her sweater and the bandage covering most of her bicep. "What…"

Jes looked down. "I'm fine. It's… it's… it's uh just a graze."

He looked at her. She knew the look in his eyes. _"Tell the truth."_

"I needed stitches. It's a 4-inch gash. I'll be okay. I'm a lot better than you."

He took her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry." His voice cracked and he grimaced.

Jes gave him a little more ice. "I know, baby. I'm sorry too."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Yeah, I know… I'm cruel. Antonio seems to always be the one to get shot. Bright side, happy chapters coming up… just got to get through the next one! All the best and let me know what you think! Nicole**_


	16. Fkin' Perfect

_**A/N: Welcome back… Now… what happens next? You'll just have to read on to find out! Please let me know what you think… I love getting your reviews!**_

* * *

 _He took her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry." His voice cracked and he grimaced._

 _Jes gave him a little more ice. "I know, baby. I'm sorry too."_

* * *

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* * *

Jes had been giving permission to stay with Antonio. Gaby took the kids to her parents. They would be coming back the next day so they could see Antonio. His parents came in quickly to see him, but left so they could help keep an eye on the kids. Jes just sat and watched him sleep. He looked peaceful, but at the same time he looked tormented. She wasn't sure what dreams he was having, but she knew she wasn't about to go to sleep. She couldn't risk having nightmares tonight. She stroked his hand and prayed.

* * *

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* * *

"Who sent you!" Voight pounded the cage door. "Who sent you!"

Jay and Erin stood back. They knew that tonight wasn't going to end well if this moron didn't talk. Voight took attacks on CPD officers and their families personally, but this time was different. He was going beyond his norm in this interrogation.

"Voight!" Erin grabbed his arm as he went to hit the cage again. "Enough! You're gonna bust up your hand and then you won't be any good to anyone."

Voight took a step back. "Erin, I swear…"

"I know. We'll get to the bottom. You need to keep your head on though."

"Give me a shot at him." Jay stepped towards the cage.

"Oh hell no!" Erin had to stand between both her lover and her father figure. "Enough. Go get some coffee… I'll deal with this."

"Erin…" Jay was pissed. "Let me…"

"No, Jay. You're too close to this. We need answers, not new flooring."

He huffed and stormed off, closely followed by Voight. Erin turned back to the cage. "Now… you will be telling me why the FUCK you targeted that house and fired over a hundred rounds at innocent people!" He just sat quietly, never flinching. He was obviously more afraid of their employers than of the CPD. Little did they know, the Intelligence Division could be more sadistic and insane than any employer out there. Erin grabbed her stun gun. "Well, since you're dozing off… maybe I'll just zap it out of you!"

It was at this point that he moved away from the door. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me!" Erin unlocked the cage and closed the door behind her. "Now, talk… or get zapped. I don't give a shit!

* * *

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* * *

Jay slammed the door of the bullpen. He was being pissed off now. His best friend was shot. His sister was shot. They had no leads as to why this happened. He wanted to shoot somebody.

"Halstead!" Voight shouted. "Calm down."

"No! You don't get to tell me that, Voight!" Jay swung around. "You didn't see the look in my sister's eyes when Antonio was lying there on the floor. She's blaming herself for this. She's got a 4-inch gash from being grazed. Antonio's kids are terrified. We've got squat! We've got nothing… no leads, one suspect's in surgery and the other one… well, I'd rather be down there getting the information than Erin." He slammed his fist against the filing cabinet that was behind his desk. "I'm tired of this fucking shit, Voight! My family shouldn't have to wear a bull's-eye. NO ONE in this division should be targeted!"

Voight knew exactly how Jay felt. He sat in Al's chair. "Jay, remember when Antonio got shot by Pulpo… you stopped me from putting him in the bottom of Lake Michigan… because 'Tonio told you too. That he wouldn't be able to live with himself knowing that's what happened… even though Pulpo deserved so much worse than that."

Jay stopped in his tracks. "Are you trying to accuse me of letting this happen? You think that somehow Pulpo found out, while in PRISON that Antonio was with my little sister and knew exactly where she worked, lived… everything?"

"I'm not accusing nobody of nothing, Jay. I'm just reminding you that you stopped me because of Antonio. You think him or your sister are going to want to live with the guilt that you kicked the shit out of the shooter, killing him, but not getting any information out of him concerning who sent him?"

Jay sat on his desk. "No."

"Then back off and let Erin try. She doesn't get answers, then you and I take him to the silos and we deal with them there the old way."

"Deal." Jay nodded. He sat and waited.

An hour later, Erin reappeared in the bullpen. She had bloodied knuckles and Jay could tell she'd had a workout.

"Anything?" He asked.

"He won't say shit. I tried everything. Only thing I did get was his name and that the other shooter's his kid brother. Their names are Beau and Theo Laurenson. That's it. Beau's the brother. I'm waiting for Med to get me some news. I figure, we tell him his brother's fine and he'll talk."

"You've got 10 minutes, Erin." Voight stood up. "Then Jay and I are taking Theo to the silos."

"Hank, you can't…"

"Don't 'Hank' me, Erin. I'm gonna find out who did this… if it means going old school than so be it. Fischer ain't gonna ask too many more questions than, 'Did you get the guy?', got it?"

Erin sighed. She knew that Voight wasn't going to budge and by the look in Jay's eye, neither was he. She grabbed her phone and called Chicago Med. "This is Detective Lindsay, CPD Intelligence. I need information on a patient. Shooting victim, Beau Laurenson." She grabbed a pen and jotted down the notes. "Thank you… oh, any information on Detective Antonio Dawson?" There was a pause. "I see. Thank you." She hung up the phone. "Okay, so kid's still in surgery, but they're confident he'll pull through."

"What about Antonio?" Jay asked.

"He's awake. Jes is staying with him. The kids are gone to his parents' with Gaby."

"Send a unit to keep on eye on his parents' place." Voight said as he grabbed his jacket. "Let's go see if Mr. Theo Laurenson will give us some answers."

Jay and Erin were on his heels as they ran back down to the cage to get something. Anything, at this point, that could help them solve the case.

* * *

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* * *

Jes awoke to Antonio stroking her hair. She hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep. "Oh God! Baby, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… I…"

"Stop apologizing." He smiled. He coughed a little before asking, "Can I have some water?"

"Definitely." Jes said as she read the note that April had stuck to his ice chip, now more water than ice, glass. "Here." She held the straw to his lips. She watched him take what had to be three very painful sips.

"Thank you." He smiled. "My throat is so dry."

"It will be." Jes sighed, putting the glass back on the table. "How're you feeling otherwise?"

"Like an elephant stomped on my chest."

"Not funny, Detective." She squeezed his hand. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry, baby." He stroked her cheek. "Are you and the kids safe?" His voice was reminded her of Voight's.

"You sound like Hank right now."

"Haha. This better not be permanent." He scowled. "The kids? You?"

"The kids are at your parents with Gaby. They'll be in soon enough to check on you. They weren't leaving until they knew you were okay."

"They…" He coughed. "They always do that."

"Hey… don't overdo it… I want you to come home…" She whispered, kissing his cheek.

"Trying not to." He groaned.

"What is it? Do you need me to get the nurse?"

He nodded. "I think I need a little bit more pain meds."

Jes hit the call button and April quickly appeared. "Hey, what's going on?" She asked.

"Antonio says he's in pain." Jes replied.

"Okay, where?" She asked Antonio.

He pointed to his chest tube. "Here… this damn thing."

"Okay. Lemme take a look." She lifted his gown and checked. "I'm gonna go get Dr. Tramble. She might be able to take this out now." April quickly left the room to page Dr. Tramble.

"Dr. Tramble to room 15, Dr. Tramble to room 15." The page repeated twice.

Dr. Tramble made her way to Antonio's room. "Is everything okay?" She asked April.

"He's complaining about pain around the chest tube. I checked it, it doesn't seem to be seeping anymore."

"I see." Dr. Tramble gloved up when she walked in the room. "So April says that your chest tube is hurting you?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. If you don't mind Doc, I'd like to get unplugged from this thing."

"We'll check it out. If you're in the clear, we'll pull it and put in a couple small sutures and you'll be well on your way to recovery."

Jes moved to the other side of the bed and held his hand while Dr. Tramble and April did their exam.

"Well… good news. You don't seem to be draining anything, and there's no sign of infection. We'll pull the tube and you'll be set. I'll probably keep you in another day or two before sending you home on medical leave." Dr. Tramble smiled. "Do me a favour, though… Detective?"

"What's that, Doc?"

"Don't come back to my OR in need of hole repairs. I'm starting to wonder if you have this desire to look like Swiss cheese."

"Don't make me laugh, Doc. I got this tube in my chest."

Dr. Tramble shook her head. "I guess I can tell you we'll pull the catheter too. Then you can get up to go to the bathroom." She walked out of the room to grab the kit for sutures.

Antonio's eyes bulged out of his head in shock. "My what?"

April laughed. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle. Jes, you may want to wait outside."

Jes nodded. "Yep. Don't need to be seeing that." She headed to wait outside. "I'll be right out here, babe."

Antonio groaned. He hated this part. "I'm never getting shot again." He moaned.

* * *

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* * *

Jay and Hank had taken Theo out to the silos. He hadn't budged. They were at their last resort. Jay had suggested waterboarding, but Hank wouldn't have it. "We're not in Afghanistan." He had said. Meanwhile, tying a bunch of chains around the guy and threatening to shove him into Lake Michigan was okay.

"Tell us who sent you!" Hank was screaming.

"I ain't saying shit." Theo retorted. "No matter which way it goes, I'm dead anyhow. I'd rather die by your hand than theirs." He then spat in Voight's face.

Voight, not being a fan of that, swung and connected with Theo's jaw. There was a loud 'pop!'

Jay watched in horror as Theo's jaw was shattered. "Voight!" He stopped Voight from drawing his gun. "We need him to talk. Can't do it if he's dead."

"He can't talk now because I broke his jaw." Hank huffed. "Throw him in. I'm done playing these games."

Jay had an idea. "Theo, I can toss you in now, save you the suffering from the Sergeant's beating but then we'll do this all over again on you brother, Beau when we can grab him from the prison ward at Med… or…" He watched as Theo's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Or, I can get you essential medical treatment, you tell us who sent you and you and your brother get put in protective custody and WITSEC."

Hank stepped back. He hadn't been willing to offer a deal like that, but then again, he hadn't thought about it. He wanted to know which of the choices Theo was going to take. He clearly cared about his brother… but who knew with these guys.

"Choice 1?" Jay held up on finger. "Or choice 2?"

Theo nodded to the second option.

"Good choice." Jay helped him up. "Let's get this jaw fixed so you can tell us all about the asshole who decided to send you to try and kill a CPD detective."

* * *

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* * *

The kids had arrived while Antonio was getting sutured up from having the chest tube removed.

"How's Dad?" Eva asked.

"He's sore, but he's going to be okay."

"Can we see him?" Diego was eager to see his dad. He needed to see with his own eyes that the adults weren't lying to him about his father's condition.

"As soon as they're done stitching him up. They took out the drain tube they had. It's a really good sign." Jes hugged them. "I promise."

"Mom, how's your arm?" Eva asked.

"Sore, but I'll be fine." She smiled. She turned to Antonio's parents. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," Emmanuel emphasized. "Any news on the men that did this?"

Jes shook her head. "Not yet. But I've been told that as soon they have any news, they'll tell me."

"Hmm." Constanza nodded. "I don't think Hank Voight is going to be too kind to the men that did this."

Jes agreed with her. "Where's Gaby?" Jes looked around.

"She had to go on shift. They're shorthanded as it is."

"Ah." Jes said. "Well, as soon as we have news, we'll call her too."

They all turned when April cleared her throat. "He's ready to see you guys, now."

They didn't have to be told twice. They all rushed into his room, but Jes stayed back. The kids needed to see their father, to see he was going to be fine. She also wanted to let his parents have some time with him. She turned to go and sit in the waiting area when a strong hand gripped her shoulder.

"Jeslyn." Emmanuel said. "Come. Antonio needs his family. All of it. That means you too."

"You need time with him. I've been in there all night." Jes whispered.

"Jeslyn, you must come. You mustn't continue to beat yourself over this."

"It's hard, Papi." She said, pain clear in her voice. "It's hard to say that this isn't my fault."

"It's not. Now, come Antonio is waiting." Emmanuel took her hand, and together they walked back to Antonio's room.

"Dad's doing good, Mom!" Diego exclaimed. He was sitting on the foot of Antonio's bed. It was obvious that he was relieved.

"Did they say when you can come home, Daddy?" Eva asked.

"Dr. Tramble said she'll come back once she has some test results to tell us." Antonio smiled. "Jes." He breathed when he saw her. "Why are you crying?"

Jes hadn't even realized that tears were streaming down her face. Diego ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Don't cry, Mom. Dad's okay. We're going to go home and it's going to be okay."

"Jes, come here." Antonio patted the side of his bed. "I know what you're thinking. I can see it."

Jes slowly made her way to Antonio's side. "You read my like a book."

"That's because you're my book." He kissed her cheek. "You can't blame yourself…"

"I…I…"

"Don't even try Jes. Mami and the kids all told me already. You blamed yourself. You still are. I also see the same look in your eyes now as the night I first met you. You said that you were cursed. Well, you're not. So stop. Please, my love, I can't see you like that."

"Antonio, I was so scared."

"I know, baby. I know you were. I know that this was terrifying, but it's over."

"Why did you have to do…"

"Why did I throw myself on top of my family?" He finished as he lifted her chin. "Because Jeslyn, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something ever happened to you. I love you. That means forever." He pulled her closely and kissed her. "I mean it, Jes. I'm not leaving you. Ever."

"I love you, Antonio." She said as her breath hitched. "Just, don't this again… I don't think I can take it."

"I'm trying here." He laughed lightly. "Now, I think we should change the topic and start thinking about Christmas planning."

"You still want to have Christmas here?" Constanza asked. "Is lots of work. Hard to do if you're recovering, hijo."

"I'm on leave for at least a month." Antonio reminded his mother. "Plus, Jes, the kids… they need a Christmas. We all do. We'll just adjust for the fact that I won't be super fast."

"Will we get a new tree?" Diego asked. "The other one… yeah… it's kinda ruined."

Antonio nodded. "We'll get new everything… once I'm on my feet again. It'll be a new tradition for us. A new beginning."

* * *

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* * *

Once Theo had been stitched up, he laid it all out, clear as day. His only condition was that he and Beau not be separated and they get out of Chicago as fast as possible. Hank had been willing to negotiate with this. As long as he caught the bastards that planned this.

"Was Detective Dawson or Officer Atwater the target?" Jay asked.

"No." Came the mumbled answer. "The girl… the teacher."

"Which teacher?"

"The one… with purple." He said. "I need meds. It hurts."

Jay turned to Voight. "Jes is still a target."

"Do they know you didn't do it?" Voight got right in his face. "Answer me!"

Theo nodded. "They know because it was on the news. Meds, please!"

Erin handed him a painkiller and some water. "Will they send someone else?" She asked.

"Yes." He nodded. "They're… they want her gone."

Jay was losing it. "Why? Why her?"

"She's keeping kids outta the gangs… we've lost most of our runners… kids aren't needing the fixes anymore."

Jay punched the wall. "God DAMN IT! FUCK!"

"Jay!" Erin grabbed his arm to prevent him from busting his fist. "Stop."

"She was worried about this." Jay said. "Jes was worried that she'd become a target. I told her not to worry."

"Jay, this isn't your fault!" Erin pulled him away from the interrogation room. "Look at me."

Jay couldn't. He was too busy beating himself up. "First, I put the target there, now because she's a selfless, caring person… she gets a target?! Seriously?! What the fuck is wrong…"

Erin quickly shut him up by kissing him. Jay's eyes bulged but then he eased himself into the kiss. "What was that for?" He whispered.

"Because you need to calm down." She smiled. "Jay, you've gotta get yourself together or else… this is all going to hell in a handbasket."

"She'll never go back if she knows she was the target from the get go." He pointed out.

"I highly doubt that. She's a strong independent woman who won't let anything hold her back." Erin hugged him, then kissed his cheek. "Trust me. Once we catch this jagoffs and make examples of them, all will be right once again."

"You, you… you're something else, Erin Lindsay." He bent down and kissed her. "I…"

They were interrupted by Nadia. "Uh, guys… Voight's on his way up. I'd suggest less lip locking and more info digging?"

"To be continued." Erin said as she went to her desk to start pulling up gang affiliations for the Laurenson brothers.

Jay grabbed his cell and called Chicago Med for an update on Antonio and Jes' condition.

"Chicago Med, Maggie speaking."

"Maggie, it's Jay… Halstead."

"How can I help you Detective?"

"Can I get information on Antonio… Detective Dawson and my sister, Jeslyn Bellamy?"

"Sure… hang on. I'll transfer you to April. She's been handling their cases. One minute."

He heard the beeping of being on hold. He was praying that there weren't any other complications.

"April here."

"Hey April, it's Jay."

"Halstead. I hear you want information on my two VIP patients?"

"That'd be right. How are they?"

April laughed. "They're fine. Antonio's sore, and he's hopping mad that I had to pull his catheter but he's going to be okay. We took out the chest tube, and stitched up the incision. There's no signs of infection and his lung seems to be healing quite well."

"What about Jes?"

April sighed. "Your sister is fine… physically, but she's blaming herself for Antonio taking the bullet. She thinks she's not worth anyone taking a bullet."

"Shit!" Jay growled. "Okay, uh… I'll be up there in a couple hours. I'll try to talk some sense into her."

"Her in-laws are probably beating you to that."

"In-laws?"

"Antonio's parents."

"When the hell did Antonio and Jes get married?"

"Jay, relax. They may not be legally married, but they act more like a married couple than anyone else I've ever seen, plus… it's a lot easier to say in-laws than Mr. and Mrs. Dawson to you."

"April, you almost gave me a coronary."

"Relax Jay." April snickered. "I'm sure they'll tell you before they tie the knot. Now I have to go do rounds. I'll see you later." She hung up the phone.

Jay sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "I swear April is out to get me for something. I just wish I knew what I had done in a past life to deserve that."

Erin looked up from her computer. "What'd she do?"

"Called Antonio's parents Jes' 'in-laws'."

"What's wrong with that?" Nadia asked from her desk.

Erin answered quickly. "Jay isn't ready for his baby sister to move on and get married."

"That and they've only been together, what… 5 months? Isn't that a little early to be talking wedding bells and walking her down the aisle?"

Voight's raspy voice came from the stairwell. "Hell no! Camille and I had been dating maybe a month or two before I told her that I was gonna make an honest woman outta her."

"What did she say?" Nadia asked. She was clearly a hopeless romantic.

"She told me to try. 6 months later, I asked her to marry me. We were married that summer." Hank missed Camille with all his heart, and maybe her death was part of what made him who he was, but he'd never forget the 27 years he'd had with her. "Trust me, Jay. If they're ready, it'll happen."

"I can't deal with all this right now." Jay ran his hands through his hair. "Look, any information on their gang ties."

"Lots." Erin said as she went to the whiteboard. "They've played the field. I found connections to the Vice Lords, the Latin Kings, the Zetas, the Outlaws and the Gangster's Disciples. There isn't a gang they weren't willing to work for."

"So they're basically guns for hire." Hank crossed his arms. "Our suspect list just shot up into the hundreds."

"Just great. Fucking perfect." Jay sighed. "We need more hands here, boss."

Hank nodded. "Hmm. We can't call Ruzek or Olinsky, they're on duty for Antonio and Jess… Antonio's down… Atwater's trying to work out things for his sister… we're all that's here."

"Actually, Sarge…" Kevin's deep voice caused them to jump. "I'm here. I got things sorted out for Vinessa and Jacquie. Where do you need me?"

Hank scratched his chin. "Maybe… you go relieve Ruzek… you and Al keep an eye on Antonio and Jes… I'll see who else I can pull in on this. We got a lotta ground to cover, and not a lot of time. There's still a target on Jes."

"You got it, Sarge." Kevin took off back down the stairs.

"Fucking perfect, alright." Hank grumbled as he went to his desk to start calling in any favor that anyone ever owed him.

* * *

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* * *

Kevin got to Chicago Med in record time. He asked for directions to Antonio's room, but was interrupted by Ruzek.

"Hey, Adam." Kevin shook his friend's hand. "How's everything?"

"Good… so far. Antonio's doing better… Jes… well she's beating herself up over the whole thing." Ruzek sighed. "What's the news?"

"They got some information, they're still working the one that they caught. Jay and Voight worked him over pretty good."

"Damn!" Ruzek looked around. "So what are you doing here?"

"Voight sent me to relieve you. He wants you back at the District. He's calling in all guns to catch these guys."

"How many guys are we talking here, bro?"

Kevin looked around. "Let's find Al, and I'll…"

"I'm right here." Al popped out of a corner.

"Jesus, Al!" Kevin shook his head. "You really gotta stop doing that. Like seriously, man…"

"What's the news?" Al asked as he peeled his banana.

The younger officers knew that Al was one of the best UCs that Intelligence had. It was because he just blended in, and he knew how to sneak around without standing out.

Kevin took a breath. "Turns out the two guys that got caught… they're guns for hire. They work for every gang and bad guy out there, from the Latin Kings to the Outlaws… they're bad news."

"Shit!" Adam hit the wall. "So, what now?"

"Voight wants you back over in District to go over some of these cases, trying to find out who'd be out for Jes."

"Jes?" Ruzek scratched his head. "The target wasn't Antonio?"

Kevin shook his head. "Nope. Jes… because she and Jacquie are getting these kids outta those gangs and off the street."

"Is Jacquie on the list?"

Kevin shook his head again. "Thank God, no. We figure that it's because Jes was in the press so much for P2K."

"Fuck." Al muttered under his breath. "What's Voight's plan for me?"

"He wants you and me to keep an eye on Jes and Antonio. Ruzek goes back and they'll be in contact with updates."

Al nodded. "Got it. I'll be on my way." He snuck of to the staff lounge, presumably to change into another outfit to stick with the undercover deal.

Ruzek patted Kevin's back. "Be safe, man. Keep those two safe upstairs." He headed off to the parking lot.

Kevin sighed. He may as well go up and check on Antonio and Jes.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio's parents had taken the kids to grab some food from one of the local Dominican restaurants nearby. Antonio had had to do a lot of convincing to get the kids to go. "I'm not going anywhere." He swore. "Jes will make sure I stay put. Scout's honor."

Jes hugged them both. "I promise, your dad and I aren't going anywhere."

Once they were gone, Jes turned to Antonio. "Your parents insist on me calling them Mama and Papi."

"I heard."

"Does that mean, I'm officially part of the family?"

Antonio patted the bed next to him. "Come here."

"You're not answering the question." She said, not budging.

"Baby, please." He patted the bed again. "I want to hold you, feel you next to me."

Jes sighed and kicked off her shoes. She got up on the bed next to him, pulling his blanket over the both of them. "Better?"

He nodded and kissed her. "Much better."

"I just don't want to hurt you."

"You could never do that, baby." He took her hand. "Yes, you are officially part of the family." He kissed her hand. "Does that… make you happy?"

"Yeah." She blushed. "I… I…" She stopped when she saw movement at the door. She was about to push the call button when Kevin poked his head in. "Kevin!"

"Hey… uh, I interrupted something… didn't I?"

Antonio rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but I can't really shoot you for it because my sidearm is somewhere in Jacquie's house."

"Actually," Kevin reached into his belt. "Voight and Jay suggested I bring it. They're still… still investigating. How you doing, bro?" He handed Antonio his sidearm and holster. "In case you need it."

"He'd better not be needing it." Jes muttered.

"I'm better now that I've got Jes next to me, and I've seen the kids." Antonio smiled. "How's Vinessa and Jacquie?"

"Okay, I guess. They're shaken up." Kevin ran his hand over his head. "Jacquie thinks it'd be best if she and Vinessa got outta town for a while. I'm just… I'm not sure…"

"Hey, Kev… trust her. She's saved my life more times than I'd like to admit." Jes smiled. "She'll keep Vinessa safe. At least until this all over."

"I'll let her know to do what's best then…"

"So what are you doing here?" Antonio asked.

"Voight's got Jay and Erin working leads and needed Adam for some extra help. Al's still here and Voight sent me to keep an eye on you two. Roman and Sanchez are here too… no one's getting near you guys again."

"I really hope not." Jes took Antonio's gun and put it on the bedside table. "I've personally got nothing against the nice people here at Chicago Med, but I really don't like making this many visits in such a short amount of time."

"I don't blame you, babe." Antonio, careful of his stitches, put his arm around Jes. "So, you keep beating around the bush, Atwater. What did Voight find out? Who did this?"

"Uh… well …"

"Kevin! Out with it!" Jes snapped. "Sorry."

"The two brothers who shot up the house, they had a hit out on… Jes."

"What? Me?" Jes was shocked.

Kevin nodded. "Yeah. So uh… turns out that the gangs really don't like you keeping the kids on the straight and narrow."

"Damn it!" She pounded her fist on the side of the bed.

"Babe, don't do that… don't need you breaking anything on me." Antonio whispered. He kissed her cheek. "They're not going to get away with this."

"Damn straight." Kevin agreed. "Uh… Jay kinda went to the Voight side… they… uh yeah."

He let Antonio fill in the gaps. Antonio knew what that meant. He'd done it himself when Diego had been kidnapped. He'd wrapped chains around his fists and beaten the information out of one of Pulpo's assassins. He only prayed that Jay hadn't been pushed that far. "Hey, babe, could you refill the water?"

"I know what that means… you want to talk shop and I can't hear about it." She got up and slipped into her shoes. "How long do you need?" She kissed Antonio.

"Ten minutes?"

"You got it." She turned to Kevin. "Don't rowel him up, or I'll be shooting you in the foot."

"Yes, ma'am."

She patted his arm as she walked by and went to call Jacquie.

"Okay, Atwater… you can stop beating around the bush now. What the fuck is going on?"

"These cats, the Laurenson brothers… they're guns for hire for everyone from the Latin Kings to the Outlaws. There's no real sign as to which group put the hit out. They were sent texts from an unknown number. We're trying to back trace, but right now, anyone that had kids that switched to P2K… they're pissed. They're missing runners, mules… you name it."

"Shit. So, she was the target all along?"

Kevin shrugged. "I know she can't know that or hear more of it. Adam told me how she's been blaming herself. Something about… something…that she thinks she's cursed."

"Yeah. She's had that frame of mind for over a decade from what she's told me. Started when Jay's family took her in."

"That's shitty, man."

"Tell me about it." Antonio shook his head. "Do whatever the hell it takes to put this to bed. I want to take her home and just put this all behind us. Preferably before my brother and his family fly in from New York for the holidays."

"We'll do our best, bro." Kevin shook his hand. "How you feeling? Honestly."

"I got shot in the same shoulder as before… so that hurts like a bitch… my ribs feel like an elephant sat on me… I just wanna go home and hold Jes and my kids and put this all behind us."

"You thinking of leaving Intelligence?"

"I don't know, Kev." Antonio sighed. "I can't see my life not being a cop, but at the same time I don't want to leave Jes alone with the kids."

"I hear ya, man. I hear ya." Kevin sighed. "Can I ask you something… ya know before Jes comes back?"

"Shoot."

Kevin sighed. "You thinking about popping the question?"

"Odd question to be asking me, Atwater."

"I'm serious."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, I'm thinking about it… more now than ever."

"How'd you come to the realization?"

"Atwater, what exactly are you trying to ask me here?" Antonio thought he was following the train of thought, but he wasn't really sure. "Talk to me."

"I haven't felt this way about a woman in my life. I can't imagine my life without Jacquie. Seeing her with 'Nessa… it's just right." Kevin swallowed. "I want to marry her, Antonio… but I can't explain it…"

"You just did." Antonio laughed. "When did the light bulb go off?"

"After Burgess got shot. When I saw how Adam was with her… I knew that I wanted that with Jacquie."

"Bro, if that's how you feel, I recommend you talk to Jes about rings and call Jacquie's parents for their blessing."

"Why Jes for rings?"

"How do you think you'll get her ring size right?" Antonio cocked his head to the side.

"Right." Kevin was lost. He knew he wanted to marry her, but he wasn't sure if she felt the same way.

"Something else is there, Kev. What's up?" Antonio tried to reposition himself in the bed.

"What if… what if she don't wanna?"

"What if she don't wanna what?" Jes' voice made them jump. "It's been 15 minutes."

"Uh…"

"Tell her, Kevin. She won't rest until you do." Antonio laughed.

Kevin turned to Jes. "I… I … do you think Jacquie would marry me?"

Jes looked between Antonio and Kevin. "Uh, yeah… I'm pretty sure she would."

"You sure?" Kevin asked.

"Kevin, the woman is head over heels for you. I just got off the phone with her. She insisted that I remind you, 'Kevin cannot get shot because once they fix him, I'll shoot him myself.' She loves you Kevin. You and Vinessa."

"Oh… wow… uh… yeah…" Kevin shuffled from foot to foot. "Did she mention taking 'Nessa away for a while?"

"She did, but then she realized she's safe here because you won't let anything happen to them… she did however mention her parents are flying down here for the holidays."

Kevin's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "What?!"

Jes laughed. "Don't worry… they don't bite… hard."

"Thanks for that." Kevin said. "Okay, so when this is all over, do you think you could help me with the ring?"

"Sure… I'd be honored to." Jes hugged him. "I'm happy for you. Just make sure she stays safe."

"Always, Jes." Kevin smiled, relief washing over him. "I'm gonna go check out what's been happening. I'm taking that the kids are getting food?"

"Yeah. Abuelo insisted that everyone go eat. They're supposed to be bringing something for me and Jes since my mother doesn't trust hospital food."

"Do you blame her?" Jes laughed. "Their oatmeal this morning was horrid."

"Everyone's a critic. It's better than military rations." Antonio snickered. "Those are horrible."

"I'll come back later to check on you. I'm pretty sure I hear your mom coming… don't wanna get in the way of family time."

"See ya later, Kev." Jes smiled. "Thanks, again… for everything."

"Anytime. Rest up, bro." He high-fived Antonio. "You need me, call or text. I'll be here." He left the room.

Antonio had Jes hand him his gun, which he quickly hid under his pillow. "They don't need to know."

"I know." Jes kissed him. "I know."

Not two minutes later, Eva and Diego came in with Constanza and Emmanuel in tow. "Dad! Dad!"

"What?" Antonio grinned. Even though they were in a hospital and he'd almost died, he wouldn't trade the time he was having with his family for anything in the world.

"Abuelo and Abuela took us for empanadas, sancocho and mofongo!" Diego was ecstatic.

"I see. Did you bring me any, or do Jes and I have to be tortured with hospital food?"

Eva laughed. "Don't worry, Dad. We got you covered. Uh, Mom… I remembered you were allergic to plantains so we got you some of the pica pollo and asopao instead."

"Thanks Eva. I have no clue what it is, but I'll trust you." She hugged her stepdaughter.

"Pica Pollo is a Dominican fried chicken and asopao is like a gumbo but with chicken and rice."

"Baby," Antonio grinned. "We really gotta get you learning some Spanish."

"I know all the swear words." Jes offered.

"How'd you learn those?" Constanza was curious.

Jes blushed. "Jacquie taught me. She told me that if you can't speak the language fluently, you should at least know the swear words so that you can tell if someone's bitching you out."

"That's a good point." Emmanuel laughed. "Very good point."

Antonio and Jes sat on the bed together and ate the meal that they were given. Jes admired Dominican cuisine. Unlike Mexican or other Caribbean foods, it wasn't spicy. It was savory. She devoured her chicken and her asopao. She sampled one of the beef empanadas and she was full.

"That was amazing!" Jes exclaimed once the food was put away. "Mami, uh… could you teach me some of those recipes."

"Oh, of course! I'd love to share these recipes with you." Constanza grinned. Gaby knew all the recipes and Victoria had inherited them when she married Javier, but for Jes to ask, it meant that she really wanted to understand where Antonio came from. Laura had never been interested in it, nor had she been interested in learning Spanish. At least Jes was making an effort to learn some of the key phrases and words.

April appeared. "Time for some meds, and I think y'all should go home… let Antonio get some rest."

"I'm not going anywhere." Jes stood her ground.

"I know." April smiled. "Dr. Tramble will be in soon to let you know when you can go home."

"Thanks April." Antonio gave her a thumb up. "We appreciate it."

The kids agreed to go back with their grandparents once they knew what the news was concerning Antonio's release. Dr. Tramble came in and explained that all of Antonio's tests had come back clear. He'd still require antibiotics and pain medication but she didn't see why he'd have to spend much longer in the hospital. "He can go home the day after tomorrow." She smiled. "Physio just wants to get a plan in place for your shoulder, and you can go home the next morning."

"Sounds good, Doc." Antonio shook her hand. "Sounds real good."

"Now, I recommend everyone clear out and let Antonio get some rest… and Jes… you need rest too."

"I know. I will." Jes shook her hand. "Thank you. For everything."

The kids bid their parents good night and headed off down the hall to catch the elevator. Their grandparents behind them, begging them to slow down.

Jes crawled back into the bed with Antonio. "This is a small bed."

"Hey, it just means we're closer together." He brushed her bangs from her eyes. "I love you, Jes. Even if I don't say enough or don't act like it… I love you. You're my everything." He kissed her lips softly. "Get some rest. I'm gonna wait for April to give me my meds and I'll be out soon enough."

"You sure you're gonna be comfy like this? I'm not jabbing or anything?"

"Nah. I'm good. I think you make a fine teddy bear, Jes."

"Haha." Jes curled up next to him, mindful of where the chest tube had been place. "Te amo."

"Te amo." He kissed her forehead and watched as she quickly fell asleep. He thought about the conversation he'd had with Kevin. Maybe he should talk to Jacquie about what she thinks… or Gaby… or Nadia… they all had an idea about Jes. He'd also have to talk to Jay. He yawned. _"I'll have to deal with that another time."_ He thought to himself. He inhaled Jes' sweet scent and dozed off.

A few hours later, Antonio heard rustling near the doorway of his room. He reached for the gun under his pillow and clicked off the safety. He could make out shadows, but nothing concrete. "Who's there?" He called out, careful not to wake Jes. He didn't need her panicking and hitting him where the chest tube had been. He saw a figure move. He didn't hesitate and squeezed the trigger, the gunshot echoing in the night.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… there we go… I know another cliffhanger… I'm mean… let me know what you think. Fluff to come… need a little more drama first though. All the best! Nicole**_


	17. Bleed Red

_**A/N : Welcome back! I know that I like my cliff-hangers… It's what happens when you're writing this story all day and can't sleep until the chapter is done… what happened? Is everyone okay? We're about to find out… hang on… it's going to be a bumpy ride! Love always! Nicole**_

* * *

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 _He didn't hesitate and squeezed the trigger, the gunshot echoing in the night._

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay had just walked into Chicago Med. They had made some headway on the case. They'd narrowed it down to the Zetas and the Vice Lords. They were the two gangs that seemed to have been hit hardest by Jes' campaign to keep the kids of Chicago off the street and out of the gangs. He was getting directions to Antonio's room when he heard a gunshot ring out and echo down the hall. He drew his sidearm and bolted down the hallway. Al was coming from the opposite direction and Kevin jumped over a railing. In a matter of seconds, the three Intelligence officers were standing over a crumpled body in a pool of blood and tiny shards of glass. Jay hopped over the body and ran into Antonio's room. Antonio still had the gun pointed at the door while he comforted Jes. She was weeping uncontrollably.

"Don't shoot!" Jay had his hands up. "It's just me. It's Jay."

Antonio lowered his weapon. "Thank God."

"What the fuck just happened here?" Jay asked as he holstered his weapon.

Antonio kissed the top of Jes' head. "I don't know. I heard shuffling. I asked who was there… it wasn't the nurses or the doctors. They chat when they come by. It was too quiet… I knew… I knew something was up."

"Atwater obviously gave you your gun back."

"Thank God, he did!" Jes exclaimed. "Who was it!? What did they want?" She was still weeping.

Antonio did what he could to comfort her but it was hard with only one arm. His injured arm had been the one he used to shoot. Now it was in agony. "Jay, get a nurse… or a doc… anyone that can give me some pain meds… I probably… may have… most definitely fucked up some of my stitches in that shoulder."

Jay nodded. "I'll be back."

Jes buried her head in the crook of Antonio's uninjured shoulder. "Why does this keep happening?"

He kissed the top of her head. "I don't know, baby. I don't know." He'd rather deal with the burning pain in his chest and shoulder than see the woman he loved be this terrified. "Al? Kevin? You guys out there?"

Al poked his head in. "Yeah. Whatta ya need?"

"Who was it?"

"He's all blacked out. No identifying marks or gang tattoos." Al stroked his goatee. "Did you see him at all?"

Antonio shook his head, grimacing. "No. Just shadows. Why?"

"You got him right in the forehead. Perfect shot." Al looked behind him. "Atwater called Voight. They're on their way over now. I have to go find Roman and Sanchez and find out why the fuck they weren't here guarding you. This should never have happened." He stormed off in search of the two patrolmen who seemed to have abandoned their posts.

Kevin, Jay and April rushed back into the room. April had a syringe with some medication in it. She quickly pushed it into his IV. "You should start feeling better pretty quick." She tossed the syringe in the sharps container.

Jay went to his sister. "Jes? Hey. I'm here."

Jes looked up. "What's gonna happen now?"

"Well, sis… I think the best thing would be to get you into protective custody… or maybe… have you … leave Chicago."

Jes' eyes widened in horror. "No! I'm not leaving. You can't make me."

Jay looked to Antonio. "Help me out here."

Antonio wasn't about to get stuck here. "I can't force her, and neither can you. She's a grown woman, Jay."

April came back. "Hey, Jes… I need to check out Antonio's shoulder… can you just sit in the chair for a couple minutes?"

Jes nodded. Her whole body was numb. Jay helped her sit in the chair. April helped Antonio lean forward and checked his shoulder wound.

"Detective, you, sir… are in trouble."

"What now?" Antonio's tone suggested annoyance.

"You tore the stiches in your shoulder from shooting that gun." April growled. "Dr. Tramble is going to be livid!" She turned to Jay. "Get her in here… before he gets an infection. Damn it… it's bleeding again." She turned to Jes. She was shaking like a leaf and white. "Jes… Jes!"

Jes snapped out of whatever state she was in. "What can I do?"

"Open that cabinet," April pointed to one on the far side of the room. "Grab some gauze and bring it here. I'm going to try and stop this. The recoil screwed everything… I need help in here!"

Jes handed her the gauze. Her jaw dropped when she saw the amount of blood that had soaked the back of Antonio's gown and his bed. "Antonio!"

"I feel fine." Antonio wasn't about to cause more stress.

"You sure about that?" Dr. Tramble rushed into the room. "Let's see." She did a rapid survey of the wound. "April, get me some more 4-0 sutures… gauze and irrigation. Let's go." She applied pressure to stop the bleeding. "What in the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm a cop… I don't think when people are coming to kill me or my family." Antonio groaned as Dr. Tramble applied more pressure to the wound. "Really, Doc? Is it necessary to try and kill me?"

"I told you I didn't want to have to stitch you up again." Dr. Tramble muttered as she took the irrigation syringe from April. "You're lucky this isn't any worse. The vein held, but you ripped each and every other stitch."

Antonio winced as she continued to clean his shoulder. He reached for Jes' hand. She squeezed it reassuringly. "Ah!"

"April, I need lidocaine to numb this."

"Fuck the lido, Doc… just stitch me up." Antonio growled. "I'm not gonna wait here another minute to risk anyone else being shot."

"Antonio… you can't get stitched without pain meds." Jes tried to convince him.

"In the Marines, we didn't always have that… so, I'll deal with it." He turned his head to face Dr. Tramble. "Do it."

Dr. Tramble wasn't about to argue. The sooner she stopped the bleeding the better. "Lean into Jes. This is gonna hurt like a bitch." She took the suture from April and set to work.

Antonio locked his jaw. He wasn't going to scream. It burned. It ached. He was starting to wish he'd let April get the damned lidocaine. "Ah!" He cried out.

Jes squeezed his hand. Jay had come back into the room and helped hold Antonio so Dr. Tramble could finish the stitching.

"Almost done. Internal stitches finished, now to close the external wound." She took another suture and made quick work. "Okay, April, clean this up and bandage him up."

Jay and Jes helped Antonio sit up. Dr. Tramble looked him straight in the eyes. "No guns. No fights. NO NOTHING! You are on medical leave until I say. Got it? And don't try to get me to let you go back any sooner."

Antonio nodded as tears fell. "Got it, Doc."

"You shoulda taken the lido, bro." Jay handed Jes a tissue to wipe Antonio's face.

"You don't have to be macho around me, Antonio. You're already my hero." She whispered as she kissed his cheek. "I love you."

Antonio stroked her jawline. "I love you. Do you know how strong you are?"

"Not strong enough to have to go through this again. Not anytime soon." She kissed his hand. She looked to her brother. "Honesty set to on here, bro… what's going to happen now?"

Jay shook his head. "I dunno. Voight's on his way up… I'm gonna ask the good Doc if Antonio can be safely moved." He headed out to track down Dr. Hannah Tramble.

CSIs were combing over the scene. The body was already on its way to the morgue. There was no surprise in the cause of death. A single bullet to the head. Jay always knew that Antonio was a great shot, but to get that shot in little to no lighting… it was one in a million. He was starting to wonder what Antonio's assignment had been while he'd been in the Marines. He caught up with Dr. Tramble. "Hey, Doc!"

She turned. "Did he shoot someone again?"

"No… and that's not funny."

"I don't find it fun having to stitch up cops to start with… stitching one up who almost died twice on my operating table… even less so. What's up?"

"Can he be moved? Like outta here… outta country if necessary?"

She thought about it. "Out of country, in a week… out of Med, yeah… I can work on his discharge papers right now."

"Do that, please. We'll get them somewhere safe."

"Hey, Jay!" Dr. Tramble called after him as he turned to leave. "What happened to the two guys that were outside their room?"

Jay came to a halt. "Dunno. Still trying to find them."

A blood-curdling scream came from down the hall and Jay ran to see what the commotion was all about.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Al heard the scream and swung around back in the direction he'd just come from. He was still looking for Roman and Sanchez when he'd heard the screaming. He got there right as Jay rounded the corner. When Al saw the scene, he punched the wall. "Fuck!"

On the floor, lay Sanchez. He'd been garroted to the point of near decapitation. His gun had never cleared the holster. Blood was everywhere. An orderly had come to this particular closet to grab more blankets for a patient when Officer Sanchez's body tumbled out. Jay arrived and uttered some choice curse words about the man Antonio had shot.

"Where's Roman!?" Jay looked into the closet, praying he wasn't about to find another body. One officer killed was bad enough.

"He's not here."

"Halstead!" Kevin's voice came from further down the hallway. "Over here!"

Al and Jay rushed over. Roman was crumpled in the corner near the Emergency Exit. "Is he breathing?" They asked in unison.

Atwater nodded. "He's alive, but he's gonna have the mother of all migraines tomorrow." He flashed his light over Roman's head. "They musta clobbered him and when Sanchez fought back… well…" He didn't need to finish the thought..

"Get CSU up here." Al ordered. "Jay, you need to help get Antonio and your sister out of here. Now."

Jay didn't have to be told twice. He ran down the hall and crashed head on into Voight.

"Woah! Watch it, Halstead… where's the fire?"

Jay looked between him and Erin. "Sanchez… dead. Garroted. Roman's... out cold. Al and Kevin are up there, and I'm getting Antonio and Jes outta here before anything else goes south. I'm not losing my sister or my partner tonight… or anytime soon for that matter."

"Jay, calm down." Voight's voice suggested this was an order over a request. "Can Antonio be moved?"

Jay nodded. "Doc Tramble's dealing with the paperwork right now. Look, please… just get them to safety… out of here… far out of here."

"You want to send a critically injured man out of the city?"

Jay sighed. "I don't want to do anything but catch the son of a bitch that put a fucking target on my SISTER'S back!"

"That's not answering my question." Voight took a step closer to Jay.

"Antonio's not the target… neither are the kids. Jes is the target. She needs to get out of Chicago… far, far away."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here, Jay." Erin crossed her arms.

"She won't go without him. She won't leave his side." Jay huffed. "She can't see it."

"She sees the man she loves… the man who almost died saving her life… she's not going to leave him, and I'm pretty damned sure Antonio won't have it if he's not with her." Voight pointed out. "They're in love, Jay. This doesn't change that… if anything, this whole ordeal will make their love that much stronger."

"Voight, help me out here. She's my sister."

"You think I'm gonna be the one to tell them they can't be together?" Voight tapped his chest. "Nope. No way. You either tell them and face the consequences or you can let them stay together and figure this out."

"You separated me from my sister when Bembenek had the price on my head." Jay pointed his finger at his boss. "You kept us apart."

"Because the target was on you. Because of that, Antonio and Jes fell in love… the love they share is a thousands times stronger than the love you guys share as siblings." Voight swatted Jay's finger away. "Now, cool your jets. I'm gonna go talk to 'Tonio. You stay here with Lindsay. Got it?"

Jay nodded and stormed off the men's room. He needed to splash some cold water on his face.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

There was a gentle rapping on the doorframe. "Can I come in?" Voight asked.

"Yeah, Boss." Antonio sounded tired.

"Jes, Antonio."

"Hank. Thanks for coming." Jes got off the bed and hugged him. Despite everyone else having an axe to grind with Hank Voight, he'd been nothing but kind to her.

"Anything for family." Hank shook Antonio's hand. "How you feeling?"

Jes didn't give him a chance to reply. "He shot the son of a bitch in the dark… killed him but the recoil tore open his shoulder."

"I see." Voight cocked his head to the side. "You don't listen very well, do you, Antonio?"

"Yeah. I know. Dr. Tramble already tore me a new one."

"You're on leave. Until she clears you. Got it?"

Antonio nodded. "I got it."

Jes sat next to him and held his hand. "What was the screaming all about?"

Voight didn't want to tell her but by the look on Antonio's face, he'd better just tell her the truth. "Uh, Officer Sanchez was murdered. He was garroted. We suspect by the same guy Antonio shot."

"What about Sean?" Jes knew them all by their first name.

Antonio made the sign of the cross and just waited for the next blow.

Voight kept going. "Roman was found unconscious by the emergency exit. He's getting checked out right now, but I suspect he's gonna have one hell of a headache. He took quite the blow to the head."

Jes breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. Oh, thank God."

"Now, since this is all going down, we need to get you both out of here." Voight crossed his arms. "I'm taking the suggestion of you two being separated for your own safety is going to get shot down in less than ten seconds."

"You'd be right." Antonio grasped Jes' hand. "I ain't leaving her out of my sight for a minute."

"Okay, good. I told Jay that his plan wasn't going to work." He sighed. "Okay, for now, we're getting you to a safe house… from there, depending on the case, we may move you guys out of Chicago for the time being."

"How far out of Chicago?" Jes whispered.

"As far as we need to get you guys, so you can be safe and we can catch the sons of bitches that are causing all this shit."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"Jay!" Erin called out as she ran after him. "Come back here!"

Jay ignored her. He needed to clear his head. He needed to know what the hell was going on here. He stomped into the men's room and ran cold water. He splashed it on his face. "Fuck!"

Erin walked in. "Jay, come on. Ya gotta talk to me here."

"This is the men's room, Erin." He growled.

"I don't give a fuck if it's the President's private bathroom off the Oval Office! What the fuck is going on with you?"

Jay pounded the sink. "My sister had a target on her about six months back… because of my job. Now, because she wants to better the life of teens in Chicago, she's got a target on her back… and we don' t know who put it there! We have no leads! Antonio fought for his life because he got shot keeping my sister safe. He ripped all his stitches in his shoulder, because he was protecting her! Again!" He punched the wall, his fist burned. "What kind of brother am I? I can't even keep my own sister safe!"

Erin grabbed his arms. "Jay!"

"What!?" He snarled. "I almost got her killed. Now… my best friend took a bullet... correction... two bullets for my sister… he shouldn't have to."

Erin slapped him. "Jay Halstead, you snap out of this right now!"

He rubbed his cheek. "What was that for?"

"For thinking you're a shitty friend and brother. This isn't your fault. The same way you told Jes not to blame herself, you can't blame yourself either." She touched his jaw. "You are an amazing person and a fantastic brother. You need to realize that some of this shit happens and it's out of our control."

"How can we keep either of them safe… when we don't know who's after her in the first place?"

"We'll get them. No one can hide from us, you know that."

"I can't lose her, Erin."

"You won't. We won't let that happen."

Jay rubbed his jawline. "That hurt, you know."

"You needed something to snap out of that level of crazy." She smiled. "Come on. You need to see her, and we need to get a plan in place."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Dr. Tramble had returned and brought Antonio's discharge papers with instructions for the wound care for his shoulder and where his chest tube had been. "Follow these to the letter, Detective. I don't want you getting septic on me."

"You got it, Doc." Antonio took the papers. "Thanks… for everything."

She shook his hand. "Next time you're in here, it better be because someone's having a baby." She bid farewell to everyone and left the room.

Voight turned to Jes. "Are you okay?"

Jes shrugged. "I have no idea anymore. Do you guys have any leads?"

Hank nodded. "Some. We're hunting them down right now."

"What about Laura?" Jes whispered. "Could she be behind this?"

Antonio hadn't thought about it. Laura wasn't capable of this. Then again, he never thought she'd be capable of tearing their family apart at the seams. "Voight?"

"She'd be pretty fucking stupid if she ordered a hit on Jes. Especially since she's been ordered to keep far away from her."

"Is it possible?" Jes pushed the question. She looked to Antonio. "I know that you two had a life together, but she knows the kids call me 'mom' and you and I are together… jealousy is a great motivator for stupid shit to go down. You know that."

Antonio had to agree with her. "Did you pursue this train of thought?"

Voight shook his head. "Not yet. We will now though." He thumbed his walkie. "Ruzek."

"Go ahead, boss."

"Head back to the District… get Laura in for questioning!"

The walkie squawked. "You liking her for this, boss?"

Voight looked to Antonio and Jes. "I'm liking anyone that may be holding a grudge against Jes at this point."

"Got it. On my way."

"Atwater went to grab you some clothes." Voight told Antonio. "Once you're changed, I'll take you to the district until we can get you to a guaranteed safe house."

"Thanks." Antonio shook Voight's hand. "What about the kids?"

"Safe. You're parents have them. We've got multiple units on them… UC and in uniform. No one's gonna try anything."

Antonio sighed. "If we have to leave Chicago, they come with us."

"I won't stop you." Voight said.

"Here's some clothes." Kevin popped in. He handed Antonio the bag. "Gaby ran and gathered some stuff for all of you. She figured you'd be needing it."

Jes took the bag from Kevin. "Thanks… uh, we'll change and we'll be ready to go."

Voight and Atwater left the room, but they were standing guard. They weren't letting their guard down.

Jes pulled out a new sweater and a pair of leggings for herself.

"I don't think those'll fit me."

"I need to change too." Jes smirked. "Here." She handed him a pair of jeans and a button up shirt. "At least, Gaby didn't give you a bunch of t-shirts."

"Being shot in the shoulder makes it hard to wear t-shirts, especially when I can't lift my arm above my head." Antonio looked to her. "Any underwear in there… or do I get to go commando?"

Jes' jaw dropped. "Antonio!" She hissed. "Not funny!"

"Then give me my damn boxers so we can get dressed."

Jes handed him a pair with some socks. "Here, let me help you." She carefully pulled away the gown and tossed it in the hamper. She put his socks on then slid the underwear and jeans on. "Okay, stand up." She helped him up and pulled up his pants and underwear. She did up his jeans and grabbed his shirt. "Let's get this on." She gently eased his injured arm in first and then got the shirt on. She quickly did up the buttons. "There. Now, I have to change."

Antonio sat back on the bed and he watched her in admiration. She hadn't complained or done anything other than care. He knew that she was definitely the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He watched her pull her sweater off. He grimaced when he saw the bruises that covered her back. The bruises he had caused when he'd thrown himself on her to keep her from getting shot. Then he saw the bandaged gash on her arm. It went from below the shoulder to almost her elbow. He wanted to help her, but he couldn't. He winced as she moaned in pain as she raised her arm above her head to pull the new sweater on. She changed from her scrubs that April had given her to a pair of leggings. She slid on her boots and did them up.

"What?" She asked when she caught him staring at her.

"You are the greatest gift, I've ever had." He smiled, reaching for her.

She took his hand. "Why?"

"You don't complain. You helped me get dressed, as if I was a child. You're caring and I…"

She kissed him. "I love you, Antonio. It's why I do it. I can't stand by and let someone I love suffer when I can help them."

"I love you, Jes. I love you more now… than the day I met you."

Jes' face turned crimson.

"Hey! You two decent in there?" Atwater asked. "We gotta go."

"Just getting my shoes." Antonio called back. "Let's get the hell outta here."

Jes slipped his shoes on his feet and hand in hand, they walked to the door, unsure of what their future held. They just knew, that whatever it was… they'd face it together.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio and Jes spent the next three days in the District. They were going through every person that could potentially be out to get Jes. They narrowed down a list, but with every Gang head or banger that was brought in, the further, it seemed, they got from the truth. Antonio was getting frustrated. He stormed into Voight's office and slammed the door. "Voight, we gotta do something."

Voight looked up from the file on his desk. "I know."

"Then do it. Go all Voight on someone's ass… I want my life back on track."

"We're nowhere near it. Laura swears that she's not behind it. We've got a couple UCs watching her, but until they find something, we gotta keep looking at gang ties."

"Voight! There are over 150 different gangs in Chicago! Those are just the ones we know about!"

"Antonio." Voight said. "Sit. Cool it." Antonio collapsed into the chair. Voight looked behind him and could see Jay trying to keep Jes from bursting into his office too. "Jes looks like she's ready to knock her brother out to get in here."

"She's going stir crazy. Sleeping on a mattress here in the District isn't her ideal situation."

"'Tonio, you can't go home. You know that."

"Then put us in a safe house."

Voight closed the file. "We can't guarantee anything right now."

"Voight, please. I want my family together. Not all this secretive shit. It was hard on Jes when Jay was the target… it's harder now because we're stuck here and our kids are with my parents. She hasn't seen Jacquie since the shooting. Something's gotta give."

Voight nodded. "Okay. I'll get the safe house ready, you guys stay there for a while."

"I'm sensing a 'but'."

"Jay made a great point the other day."

Antonio remembered that conversation ended as an explosion between Jay and Jes. "You want us to go to Canada... leave the country."

"There's no way they could find you guys there."

"She doesn't want to go." Antonio hit his thigh. "She thinks Jay's trying to force her to go back there for good."

"It's not for good… just until we catch these monsters."

"I'll try to convince her, but I'm making no promises."

"I can live with that."

Antonio nodded, got up and headed out of Voight's office to try and talk some sense into Jes. Voight grabbed his phone and called Platt to get the safe house ready. He wanted this case wrapped up. He hated seeing his family torn up like this.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"Jes, please." Antonio pleaded.

"If we go, he won't let me come back." Jes was livid. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am!" Antonio huffed. "I am on your side, baby. Always! But it's a good option. We're safer there than here."

"Couldn't we just go to Milwaukee or something?"

"If it is a gang, they'll have ties there. No. We need to get far away." He took her hand. "Jes, please. This is our family. I know you hate it as much as me that we're away from the kids… that you haven't seen your best friend since this all went down."

Jes stopped and sat in the chair next to Antonio. "You're right."

"Baby, I'm not going to just leave you there. When this is all over, we'll all come back."

Jes nodded. "Will the kids be coming too?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. They will." He paused. "Hey, it's almost Christmas… let's have our Christmas up there. You told me, when we first started going out… that winter in the Prairies is beautiful."

A small smile crept across her face. She nodded. "It is."

"Then that's what we'll do." He took her hand and kissed it.

"What about your brother and his family, Gaby… your parents?"

"If you're up for it and you really want that family Christmas, we'll get them to fly up there."

"I'd really like that." A tear slid from her eye. She wiped it away. "Um, we can stay at my farm. It's isolated and safe."

"Sounds like a plan." Jay stood in the doorway.

"Jay." Jes said. "Will… will you be able to come… at least for Christmas?"

"I think I can swing that." He hugged his sister. "Uh, Jacquie is downstairs and really wants to see you. Platt wants to set you up in a conference room… Jacquie brought you lunch."

"Thanks." Jes hugged her brother. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Don't rush on my part." Antonio kissed her. "I've got some stuff to fill out here anyhow."

Jay and Antonio watched as Jes ran from the bullpen to the conference room. "Jay."

"Antonio."

"We need to talk."

"I figured as much." Jay held the door open. "Let's go."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay and Antonio drove to Matador's. They wouldn't be interrupted and it was safe. Antonio sat on the steps leading up the ring.

"What's going on, Antonio?"

"I need to talk to you about Jes."

"You planning on breaking her heart, Dawson?" Jay grabbed a stool and sat across from Antonio.

"No." Antonio ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I don't know what you think about our relationship… and I know that Jes is your baby sister." He took a deep breath. "When I got shot… when I realized that my life was flashing in front of my eyes, that I could lose my kids… I could lose Jes. I knew… I couldn't wait anymore." He looked straight into Jay's eyes. "I want your blessing to ask Jes to marry me."

Jay had suspected this was coming. Everyone else also saw it coming. He didn't say anything. He was thinking. He wanted Jes' happiness, and he wanted his best friend's happiness. Their happiness was intertwined with one another… but there was still this risk of the job. He took a deep breath. "Antonio, you've been like a brother to me since I joined the force. I respect you and I trust you. You want to marry my sister…"

Antonio nodded.

"You have my blessing." Jay got up and hugged Antonio. "I couldn't ask for a better man than her to have by her side."

Antonio breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I promise you, Jay… she's everything to me."

"Good. Just promise me something…"

"Anything."

"Don't get shot again. I can't bear seeing my sister the way she was the night they cracked your chest and had to shock your heart. That… that I can't do."

"I promise, I'll be doing my damnedest to keep out of the line of fire."

The two hugged again.

"Be happy I didn't want to box you for the right to ask her to marry you." Jay laughed.

"She'd kill both of us if we did that."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jacquie and Jes had enjoyed pitas and salad. They were visiting when Jacquie's cell went off. She took the call while Jes got rid of the wrappers. "Jes." Jacquie smiled. "The kids miss you."

"Which kids?"

"The ones at P2K. They keep asking about you."

"I'll be back as soon as this shit is over."

Jacquie sighed. "I know. It's just hard for me… I miss you being there. This is your baby. I'm just the partner."

Jes wrapped her arms around her best friend. "You're not just my partner in this. You've got this. We can't let this shit ruin P2K… too many kids depend on it. Have any of the kids stopped coming?"

Jacquie shook her head. "No. Surprisingly, we've got more kids. They actually have been putting art all over your office. You're missed. Big time."

Jes could feel tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "Awe."

"Don't do that. I'm going to cry too." Jacquie begged.

"I just want this over."

"I don't blame you." Jacquie said.

There was a knock at the door. "Hey." Kevin's frame filled the doorway.

"Hey." Jacquie hugged him. "What's up?"

Jes leaned against the conference room table. "What's the news?"

"Jay and Antonio went to Matador's to talk… Voight's got the safe house set…"

"Why did my brother take Antonio to Matador's?" Jes interrupted.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's for sparring purposes." Kevin smiled. "Don't worry. Jay knows he can't get mad at Antonio anymore."

"Fair enough." Jes smiled. "I'm gonna go and check if they're back yet."

Jacquie and Kevin watched as Jes headed back to Intelligence. "Is she going to be okay?"

Kevin wrapped his arms around her. "They're both gonna be okay."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes needed fresh air. She wasn't about sit around wait for the next round of bullets to hit. She snuck around the corner and headed out the back door. She was out by the roll out. She leaned against the wall. Everything was messed up. She wanted a life where helping kids was rewarding and she could come home to a husband and kids. Now her dreams were being shattered by some unknown force. She pounded the wall. "Câlice!" She saw the roll up was open. She headed out to clear her head. She was about to round the corner from the alley when everything went black.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay and Antonio were laughing when they came up the stairs to Intelligence.

"Well, we all seem to better in better spirits." Voight pointed out.

"Yeah." Antonio nodded. "We're better. Is the safe house ready?"

Voight nodded. "Yep. So long as Jes is ready to go."

Jacquie and Kevin came up behind the rest of the group.

"Where's Jes?" Jacquie asked.

"I thought she was with you." Adam mentioned as he came from the staff room.

"No, she said she was coming back up here to find out what was going to happen next and to see if Jay and Antonio were back." Kevin looked around.

"Shit!" Jacquie exclaimed. "She had to have snuck out."

"Why the fuck would she do that?!" Jay exclaimed.

"I don't know." Jacquie sat in a chair. "I have no idea. She knows they're still out there."

Antonio started to take off the sling. Voight grabbed his arms. "No."

"Voight, I'm not about to let the woman I love… the woman I plan on spending the rest of my life with… get killed! I have to go out there. I have to keep her safe!"

Voight signaled to Al. "He doesn't move."

Al nodded to Ruzek. "Come on Antonio, you know damn well, Voight's not letting you out of his sight, so neither are we."

"Al, Ruzek… come on! It's my… she's…" Antonio fell to his knees. "I can't lose her."

Al helped Antonio up and got him to the locker room. Adam followed them closely. Jay, on the other hand, was having a full-blown meltdown. Things began flying as he swept things off his deck. Erin tried to stop him, but he swung at her. Kevin jumped into gear and wrapped his arms around Jay's arms and held them behind his back.

"Jay, stop!" Kevin shouted. "Stop man."

"She's out there… with a bull's-eye on her back. I'm not there… none of us… if something happens!?" Jay was struggling against Kevin's strong grasp. He couldn't win. Kevin was taller and stronger than him. "Let me go!"

Voight was seeing his team unravel at the seams. "Someone get me a search team! Now!"

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes' head was throbbing. She tried to rub it but her hands were tied behind her back. She was lying on her side. "Ugh."

"It's about time." A thick accented voice snapped.

"Wha…" Jes' question was cut off by a swift kick to her ribs. "Ohhh."

"Shut up." He mumbled something. Jes tried to catch it but her ears were still ringing.

She tried to look around to see where she was. Her whole body ached. Her hands and wrists burned. She tried to roll over but then her left upper arm burned. It was then that she realized that her stitches had ripped open. "Ah. What… what's going on?"

Her answer was another kick, this time to her stomach. She saw stars. She groaned and came to the conclusion that talking wasn't going to be doing her any good. She was suddenly wishing that she'd stayed in the District. _"Jay and Antonio aren't going to let me hear the end of this…"_ She thought. _"Actually, I'll be lucky if these guys kill me because Jay's going to kill me for not staying inside."_ Her thoughts then quickly went to Diego and Eva. Her promise that she wasn't going to be like their mother and leave them. She wept silently as she realized that she'd broken that promise. She was also going to break Antonio's heart if she died. It was then that she determined that she was going to fight. She knew her brother and his team were looking for her. They had to be. Antonio wasn't going to let anything happen to her, even though she really didn't want him to have to take any more bullets for her. She turned her head when she heard more footsteps entered the room. It was too dark for her to make out specifics but she could tell that the feet belonged to a woman. The heels gave it away.

There was a conversation in broken Spanish and two rough hands dragged her up. She tried to fight back and the man holding her quickly backhanded her. "Cállate!"

Another set of hands quickly tied her to the chair. "Let me go!" She screamed. She was backhanded again. She swore the room was spinning. "They're going to find you. My brother… My boyfriend! They're going to put you in some…AHH!" She screamed as something burned into her ribs.

"I thought you said this was going to be quick." The female's voice whispered harshly.

Jes swore she knew that voice. She just couldn't place where. Her ribs burned. Arms and hands ached. She knew she was in a bind and these bastards had Tasers and stun batons. That's what had attacked her ribs. She could taste blood in her mouth. She spat it out, praying teeth weren't being spat out too. She looked up again. She could see more clearly now. Her jaw dropped when she realized who really had kidnapped her.

* * *

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* * *

Jay and Antonio ran through the possible places that Jes would go while Kevin tried to comfort Jacquie. She thought she'd put the idea into Jes' head to sneak out. Al and Voight kept a close eye on Antonio while Erin and Adam focused on Jay. They could risk either of them becoming rogues in trying to get Jes back. Jay was thumbing through Jes' planner from P2K. Antonio was thinking of anyone that could potentially want Jes out of the picture. They kept coming back to the gangs or Laura, yet neither had enough evidence pointing to them. Antonio was losing his mind. He wanted to get Jes back. He wanted to marry her. He wanted his life to be with her in every way possible.

"Did anyone try her phone?" Nadia looked up from her computer.

"What?" Antonio swung around.

"Her phone? Did you guys try calling it or pinging it or something?"

"Why is it that the only person with a bright idea to find Jeslyn isn't even a cop in Intelligence!?" Voight shouted. "Someone get on that… NOW!"

Adam grabbed a computer and began inputting information. Antonio jumped up from his chair. "Where's the iPad? My personal iPad?"

Kevin went through the bag they'd brought from Antonio's house. "Here, bro."

Antonio grabbed it and got in. She opened the 'Find My iPhone' app. "We merged our iTunes accounts…"

Everyone turned to face him.

"The kids liked her music and some of her apps… we're living together… long story short…" He huffed. "I can track her without tipping anyone off that we're looking." He waited for the app to load. His jaw dropped when he saw the location. "They're… they're at my house!"

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* * *

"You bitch!" Jes shouted. She didn't care if they beat her into unconsciousness. She was being livid now. "Why? What the fuck is your problem?"

Laura stepped out from the shadows. "Finally clued in, did we?"

"Just you wait… Antonio, Jay… they're not going to let you get away with this."

"I won't have to… see you're gonna be dead, they're going to be dead, and I… I can actually take my kids… and no one can stop me."

"You're insane."

"Says the woman who's cried 'rape'." Laura snidely said.

"What?" Jes swore she must have a concussion.

"You don't think I don't know exactly who you are?" Laura backhanded her. "You don't think… I'd look into you as soon as I found out my son… MY SON… called you 'mom'?"

Jes said nothing.

"I know exactly who you are… especially after I did a little research. Turns out… we 've had a connection for a long time… you fucked up the life of someone I cared about a long time ago."

Jes tried to think how the hell she possibly could've offended Laura before having even met her that night. She hadn't been in Chicago in a decade. "I haven't been in Chicago for any extended period of time since… since I was 16."

"I know." Laura smiled venomously. "Think a little harder."

Jes tried her damned but the headache wasn't helping. "I have no fucking clue what I did to you, except make your ex-husband happy and raise your kids." She knew what she was about to get.

Laura didn't slap her this time. She kicked her in the ribs. Jes, and the chair, went flying. "Maybe this will refresh your memory."

There was another shuffle of feet and another person was over top her. His face was shadowed by the light. "Remember me?" He grabbed the ropes and undid them. He left her arms bound and grabbed her face. "Do you?"

Jes allowed her eyes to refocus. "Who the… no!"

"See, told you she'd remember." The mystery man grinned. "Can I have my way with her… before you off her?"

"Sure thing... little brother." Laura laughed.

"Wait… you're telling me… that he's your brother?" Jes shook her head. Maybe this was all a bad dream. "My brother should've killed you when he had the chance, Will."

"He probably should've." He turned to Laura. "Unless you wanna watch, I suggest you leave."

Laura nodded and left. Will undid his belt and Jes began to cry out.

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* * *

Antonio hopped in the passenger seat of Voight's SUV and told him to floor it. "I have no clue why the fuck she's there… but we gotta get there… now!"

Voight hit the lights, and sirens. "Roll an Ambo to 2040 West Potomac and get me every other available unit." He shouted into the radio. "Now!"

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* * *

Jes wept. She'd never wanted to relive this. She knew her ribs were cracked if not broken. Once Will had been finished with her, Laura and Andres (Jes could only assume) came in and beat her. Andres held her while Laura took the swings. Jes couldn't hang on much longer. She coughed and everything hurt. The ties were cutting into her wrists and she knew that the bullet graze from earlier was wide open again and bleeding. She was tired. The room was spinning. She heard footsteps and arguing but she couldn't make out what was being said. Steps ran up a set of stairs and there was soon a slamming of a door. It was then that Jes clued in that she was in a basement. She looked around. She tried to figure it out. It seemed familiar. Footsteps came back down the stairs and Jes cringed when she saw Will again.

"Why?" Jes asked hoarsely.

"Why?" He laughed. "You want to know why?" He grabbed her by the throat. "Because… you got me thrown in lock up for attempted rape of a minor… when you really wanted it. That led to me being put on the sex offenders' list… I lost all my college and university scholarships… My parents… well they already had the perfect daughter who was going to marry the perfect guy… the guy she'd always dreamed of, but of course… my name was going to drag her through the mud…so, they disowned me… let me rot. Laura… well… she's my half sister… see turns out my daddy wasn't an honest man."

"Apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Jes gasped. It was getting hard to breathe.

He punched her in the stomach. "Don't you dare go after my sister… see I'm going to get what I want… and she gets what she wants… that's you dead… and Antonio well he's going to find you dead here… and in his grief… he's going to trigger the explosive that I'm gonna leave under your corpse. They all die, and Laura can get her kids back."

"Laura will never… get… them back." Jes felt like her chest was going to collapse. Her lungs burned. "They…they're gone… and because of this … her… her deal… with CPD… is gone."

Will had her by the throat. "What do you mean deal?" He shook her. "What deal?!"

"Coño!" There was a crash on the stairs and a door slammed shut upstairs.

"Guess… I get to kill you myself… I think… I'll just put the explosive under you and you can watch as you and my sister's ex get blown to smithereens."

"Laura… didn't have siblings… how did she know … how… to find you… that… your… connection…" She coughed. "To… to… me?"

"Google is a fancy tool that most people know how to use." He kneed her in the ribs.

There was a loud bang and shouts erupted upstairs. There was a flash in the basement and glass shattered. Smoke filled the room. "CPD! Get on the ground."

Will reached into his waistband.

Jes used the last of her strength to shout out. "Antonio! Jay… gun!"

A single shot rang out and Will dropped. Jes collapsed. Everything was going black. She could hear Jay and Antonio. She held on. She needed to hold on for them.

"Jes!" Antonio ran to her. "Jes, baby!" He tried to rip the sling off. He needed to hold her. "Jes! I'm here." He took her hand. "Baby. Baby… get the medics!"

Jay rushed to them. "What the… oh God! Jes… Jes…" He looked to Antonio. "We gotta get her out of here… Where THE FUCK ARE THE MEDICS!?" He threw his coat over her.

Soon, Peter and Sylvie were there. "We gotta scoop and go." Peter said. He put a collar around Jes' neck. "Now!"

"Why can't you stabilize her then move her?" Jay asked.

"The whole place is rigged. Bomb Squad's on the way." Voight came down the stairs. "Look, Antonio… I know this is your house and all, but I really want to get everyone outta here."

They put Jes on the stretcher and Severide helped pull her up through the window of the basement. Jay and Antonio clambered out after her. Peter looked between the two. He knew there was no way that either of them was about to agree to staying behind. He helped Sylvie get the stretcher in. "Look, I know you're both coming, but I can only have one of you back here with me. Figure it out, but we gotta roll out. Now."

Jay looked to Antonio. As much as Jes was his little sister, Antonio was so much more to her. "Go with her, bro. I'll ride up front with Sylvie." He helped Antonio into the rig. He closed the doors and ran to get in the front. "Hit it, Brett… We don't have any time to wait."

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* * *

Voight stood on the curb with Al and Kevin. They watched as the Bomb Unit pulled out a multitude of different IEDs. The Bomb Squad Sergeant approached. "House is clean. I can tell you that… these things are Colombian."

"Cartel?"

"Similar. I'm thinking Medellin." He swiped his brow. "I hope you catch them… if you hadn't come in when you did, half this block woulda been leveled." He shook Hank's hand. "Some other time, huh, Hank?"

"Yeah. Thanks again." Hank turned to face the team. "This was Laura… all of it."

"Who's the guy? The one Jay shot."

"No clue. Take him to the cage… we'll deal with him later." Voight looked to the whole team. "We do what we gotta do to bring these bastards down. I don't care about the damn rulebook anymore… we're bringing the whole crew, including Laura down. Tonight!" He stomped off to his Escalade.

Erin followed on his heels. She tossed her car keys to Atwater. "Take this back. Let us know if you hear anything."

Kevin nodded and headed to the car. They were going to do this, but he had the sinking feeling that it wasn't going to end the way Antonio or Jay was going to want it to end.

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* * *

"Jes?" Peter hooked up the IV and monitor. "Jes, can you hear us?"

Jes' eyes fluttered. "Yeah."

"Okay… that's okay." Antonio knew that tears were flowing down his face, and he couldn't care less. "I'm here. Jay's here. We got the guy. You're okay."

"Laura." She said, her hand shaking. "It… it was Laura." Her head rolled to the side and the monitors started screaming.

Peter pounded on the wall. "Floor it! We're losing her!"

"Jes!" Antonio cried out. "Jeslyn… baby, no! I love you… please… please… fight… fight for us…" He wept openly. He watched as Peter intubated her and pushed a slew of different drugs into her IV. He began to pray. Something he hadn't done in a long time. He started with the 'Our Father'. _"God, you brought her… you brought her to me as a beacon in a dark time… she's been the light for my children and for me… please God, give her strength. Give her the courage and power to fight. I know… that I let my faith lapse, but Jeslyn has shown me just how strong faith can be. Please, Lord… save her. Save her for all of us."_ He made the sign of the cross and recited the 'Hail Mary' in Spanish.

Jay could only listen as his sister's life slipped from her. He couldn't do anything. Peter was there doing everything in his might. Then he heard it. Antonio. He was praying. Jay hastily made the sign of the cross and began to pray. Something he hadn't done since his return from Afghanistan. He prayed as hard as he could that his little sister was going to make it out of this, and that she would finally have her dream future with Antonio.

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"We got something!" Atwater's voice came over the walkie. "We've tracked Andres' car… they're down by the waterfront."

Voight pulled the Escalade into a U-turn and headed back towards the water. As they came up on the scene, there was a plume of black smoke harsh against the sky. "Call CFD. Active fire!" He shouted into his radio. He jammed in the brakes and ran to the fire. He expected it to be the car engulfed in flames.

"Oh my God!" Erin exclaimed.

Al whistled and Adam groaned.

"Well, it's safe to say, they found out." Al patted Voight on the shoulder.

"Fuck!" Hank pounded on the hood of his Escalade. "We were this close!"

"Hey, Sarge!" Ruzek called out. "Over here."

Hank stomped over to where Ruzek was. He grabbed what Adam handed to him. He thumbed through everything. "I'll be damned. We got them. We got 'em!"

"We do?" Erin ran up. "Seriously?"

Hank handed her the bag. She could see everything they needed was there. "Call Homeland, ICE, DEA… fuck… call them all." Hank shouted. "We're gonna put the final nail in their coffin! Alert ATF and lock down any way in or out of Chicago!"

Phones were dialing and overlapping voices filled the night. Soon Truck 81 arrived to put out the blaze. Now, all Hank had to do, was to break the news.

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… I guess the warm fuzzy stuff is yet to come… but it is coming… just needed to work some things out first. Let me know what you all think! Love always!**_


	18. Demons

_**A/N: Well… another cliff-hanger. Now, to see what's all going to come to this and we'll see if anyone's going to be going to the dark side this time. Read and review always… love, Nicole**_

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Hank drove in silence while Erin tapped her fingers on the dash. Neither of them really wanted to have to deliver the news that they were about to. Al and Adam had taken the suspect to the cage. Jay's bullet had been a through and through to the shoulder. The paramedics bandaged him up and released him into Intelligence's custody. The whole team was heading to Med. They needed to get news on Jes.

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* * *

Jay and Antonio were pacing outside of the Trauma room. Nobody was going to tell them to go anywhere else. Gaby arrived soon after. She knew that this was going to be hard on both of them. Sylvie had warned her that what had happened to Jes was beyond the stuff that made up nightmares. The instant Antonio saw his sister; he rushed to her and hugged her tightly. No words needed to be spoken. Together they waited for any news that could come from this. Gaby also knew she had to keep her brother in the dark about what she'd just left at the waterfront… Voight was going to have to tell him about it. One by one, all of Intelligence and most of Truck 81 and Squad 3 came into the waiting area. It was eerily quiet. Voight turned to Erin and shook his head. He wasn't going to be delivering any news until they knew something about Jes' condition.

Minutes turned into an hour. Suddenly the trauma room doors crashed open and Jes was wheeled towards the elevator. Jay and Antonio jumped from their seats to follow. Voight and Al jumped into action. They jumped in front of them.

"Let me see her!" Antonio struggled against Voight.

"Damn it, Al! Get out of my way!" Jay went to punch him. "That's my sister."

Kevin grabbed his fist and prevented him from clocking Al. "Jay, bro… we know… but… you can't do anything for her right now. You just have to wait."

Antonio broke down. He collapsed against Voight's shoulder and wept. Voight, for the first time since Camille died, felt completely lost. Antonio and Jay were like sons to him, yet there was nothing he could do to help them. "'Tonio." Voight said. "Come on. Let's sit down until the doc comes. She's got the very best looking after her."

"I didn't… I couldn't protect her." Antonio whispered.

"Hey, Antonio… don't, bro… don't go there." Voight rubbed his back. "Don't. You can't blame yourself for what that psychopath did. You and Jay, you got her back. She's tough, she's going to get through this."

Antonio knew that Voight was right, but it still didn't matter. He felt guilty that this had happened. He was never going to forget finding her the way he did. What that monster had put Jes through. He knew that Jes had been violated and that she was badly beaten. He knew that she had a long road ahead of her, and he prayed that if she made it through all of this, she'd let him help her. He sat back in his chair and held his sister's hand. He noticed the look that Gaby and Voight exchanged. He didn't have the energy to ask what it was about. He knew that whatever it was, they'd tell him eventually.

Jay fought against Al and Kevin. He needed to know that Jes was okay. "You don't understand! I can't let this happen again!"

Just then Jacquie rushed into the waiting area. "Where is she?!" She screeched. "Where's Jes?!"

Kevin turned to Adam. "Watch Jay." He ran to her. "Jacquie, baby."

Jacquie threw herself into Kevin's arms. "Where is she? Where's my best friend?"

"They took her upstairs." Kevin whispered softly. "She's with the best."

"I can't lose her, Kevin. I can't lose my best friend!" She wept uncontrollably. "I almost lost her once already, I can't… I just can't!"

The whole waiting area was a flood of tears, sobs and anxiety. No one had heard anything. Kevin walked Jacquie over to where Antonio sat with Gaby. Jacquie hugged Antonio tightly. They both knew that whatever happened, Jes was going to need all the support possible to bring her back from the brink.

"Jeslyn Bellamy's family." A doctor approached, removing his surgical mask.

Jay, Antonio and Jacquie stood. Alec Willhite knew exactly what this was all about. He knew Antonio well. Alec's wife, Julie, had been Antonio's partner for the majority of her career until she'd been killed by Pulpo's men a little over a year ago. "Jay, Antonio." He greeted them. "How exactly are you related to this woman?"

Jacquie took a shaky step forward. "They're her family. I'm Jacquie Lennox. Jeslyn is my best friend…" She let out a cry. "I have her power of attorney… if something were to happen to her." She pulled out an envelope from her purse. "Here."

Alec took the envelope and carefully read the documents. "I see. Can you explain how they are her family?"

"Can we go somewhere more private, please? Doctor?"

"Alec Willhite. I'm the doctor in charge of Jeslyn's case."

"Dr. Willhite, Jay is Jes' brother… and… Antonio… he's her boyfriend."

Alec would have to play catch-up later. "Okay, uh… let's go in here." He led them to a family room that was empty. "Have a seat."

"Tell us, Alec. Please." Antonio's eyes were red from the tears he had shed. "We've been through hell, we can't keep being in the dark and two steps behind the eight ball here."

Alec nodded. "Jeslyn's stable. She's in the ICU. Luckily, she didn't need any surgery… but we are still monitoring her intracranial pressure. If that were to get too high, we'd have to remove the pressure for her."

"Alec, don't beat around the bush." Jay stated simply. "We don't have time for that."

Alec sighed. "You want to know everything that happened to your sister… his girlfriend… her best friend?"

"Yes." Jacquie replied. "Dr. Willhite, in that envelope is Jes' medical chart… from six years ago."

"Why would that matter?" Jay asked. "Six years ago was the car accident."

"It was more than that Jay." Antonio whispered. "It was a lot more than that."

Jay looked between the three people around the table. "What the hell are you talking about?" Alec took the file and leafed through it. The look in his eyes told Jay that whatever was in that file was horrible. Jay looked to Jacquie. "What's in the file?"

Jacquie said nothing. Antonio looked to him. "Jay, Jes made Jacquie promise not to tell you. I promised I wouldn't either."

"You know?!" Jay jumped up from his chair. "Somebody tell me something, RIGHT NOW!"

"Jay, calm down or I'll get a sedative." Alec put his arm on Jay's shoulder. "I think at this point, you need to know everything."

"Before you tell him…" Jacquie sniffled. "You can't give Jes the heavy pain meds… she doesn't want them… they… they fucked her up six years ago. She made me swear that she'd never have to relive that again."

"I saw the notes in her chart. That… she had an addiction to the opiates from before. Reading her chart now, I can see why. Certain pain medications are going to be given because if she's in any form of pain, she'll never heal. As long we closely monitor the dosages and the frequency of doses, addiction won't happen." Alec looked to Jay. "I think that at this point, what's best for Jeslyn is for everyone to understand what she's been through… her injuries… then I think it's best that for her healing, Jay know what happened six years again."

Jay sat in the chair. Jacquie clung to Antonio's hand. Since both of them had known the truth about Jes' past, they knew that this was going to be hard to hear. Antonio had seen what had been to her, but he also knew that there had to have been so much more than that.

Alec took a deep breath. "Jeslyn was brought in with multiple contusions. It would appear that she was beaten with more than just hands. She has at least three broken ribs and a couple more cracked ones. One of the broken ones punctured her lung. We had to reinflate it. Her liver and spleen show signs of bruising but there's no internal bleeding. She's got electrical burn marks that would appear to come from a Taser or a stun gun of some sort. Her skull shows a couple fractures. One is the one I'm assuming she was incapacitated by. It's the one we're watching the most for intracranial bleeding. She has a small spiral fracture to her right arm, I'm assuming from being grabbed and forced into restraints while she fought back. Uh, the rest… she was… she was raped. Brutally. We did a rape kit to identify the guy. Hopefully he's in the system."

"We got him." Antonio said solemnly. "We caught him trying to kill her."

"Then that's a relief." Alec sighed. "She was beaten by at least three different people judging by the bruise patterns. Two men and a woman… unless a third guy had extremely tiny hands."

It hit Antonio then. That's what Jes had meant when she said Laura's name in the ambo. "Fuck!" He pounded on the table. "How… how could someone as sweet and kind and caring… how do they go through this… twice!" He laid his head on his arms.

"What are you talking about, 'Tonio? What do you mean twice?" Jay's voice was escalating.

Alec tried to calm him but it wasn't working. "Jay, getting all up in arms isn't going to help Jeslyn."

"I want an explanation here." Jay said, his voice shaking. "She is my sister, yet… these two know a whole hell of a lot more than me!"

"Jay, sit." Alec pointed to the chair. "I'll explain."

"No…" Antonio stood. "Jes never wanted him to know."

"He has the right to know, Antonio." Alec whispered.

"You don't have the full story. Jes told Jacquie and me. You only have the medical facts… not the background."

"Then one of you has to tell him."

"You wanna marry my sister, Dawson?" Jay growled. "You're going to be the one to tell me."

Jacquie and Alec stood in shock. "Marry her?"

"That's why we were at Matador's." Jay sighed. "He wanted to ask my blessing to marry my sister… then we come back and she's gone."

"Jacquie, I think we're past what Jes wants now." Antonio said softly. "Jay needs to know… I'll take the blame." He turned to Jay. "Sit. You'll need to be seated."

Jay took his seat. Alec stood near the door. He was worried he'd need to either get sedatives, or call in security. He'd seen the files and he'd seen first hand the scars left by the initial attack and accident six years earlier. He looked to Antonio. When Julie was alive, Antonio, Laura and the kids came over often. He'd heard rumours that things had gone south with Laura, but he'd never gotten confirmation. Obviously, Antonio and Laura were long over with and he was moving on. He'd also heard how Jes had been when Antonio had been brought in earlier with his gunshots. She'd acted more like a concerned wife than Laura ever had. He sighed. He didn't envy what Antonio had to do. Telling Jay this story was going to be harder than any case he'd ever worked before.

"Jay…" Antonio took a deep breath. "You need to promise me… that once you know all of this, that you're not going to badger Jes about it… or feel guilty or any… or anything… you're going to listen… you're going to understand… why…" His voice cracked. "Your sister didn't want you to ever find out about this."

Jay nodded. "Just say it." He was terrified but he needed to know why Jes had kept this a secret from him.

Antonio started. "She told me this one night, the first night I was watching her because of the whole Bembenek thing… when I woke her up from a night terror. She was reliving what had happened. She opened up to me. She told me how when she was in her third year, she was convinced to go out with some of her friends… she met a guy… they… they were in a relationship when he wanted something she wasn't ready for… he wouldn't take no for an answer… one night… he had her alone with him." He coughed. "He drugged her, raped her and left her for dead. Jacquie… Jacquie found her after Jes didn't show up for a class. Jacquie…"

"I tried to convince her to report it… to go to the cops, but she wouldn't have any of it. It's why I glued myself to her hip after that." Jacquie wept. Reliving this was hard on her too. She may have not been the victim, but she'd seen the damage from the get go.

"Two months later, Jes found out he'd gotten her pregnant."

"What?" Jay gasped.

Antonio nodded. "She couldn't go through with an abortion, so she arranged to give the baby up. She figured it would all be over before you came home. She didn't want you to be disappointed in her. This guy… well he thought Jes would go after him for paternity. He cut the brake lines, and well you know what happened to the car… to Jacquie… her sister…"

"Jes lost the baby." Jay said. "There was no way the baby would've survived."

"You're right." Antonio nodded. "She was devastated. Then when she got told that she'd never be able to have kids… it pushed her over the deep end. When she got out, she got hooked on the heavy stuff… Percocet… Oxy… Jacquie got her clean by threatening to rat her out to you. She kept having the nightmares of that night until… they stopped the night she first stayed with me."

Jay shook his head. "She didn't want me to know any of this?"

Jacquie and Antonio shook their heads. "No."

"Why?"

Jacquie took Jay's hand. "She thought you'd blame yourself for not protecting… that you'd kill the son of a bitch that did this… She didn't want to lose you."

Antonio looked Jay straight in the eye. "I wanted to kill the bastard… I didn't even know her then, but know this Jay… I love your sister… I'm going to get her through this… with your help. She needs her family… that means more than just you… or just Jacquie… or just me. She needs ALL of us."

Jay wiped away a tear. "I know." He turned to Alec. "Can we see her?"

"I'll go see if she's able to see you guys. I'm sorry you guys have to… but she needs to hear it… I think one of you should be the ones to tell her." Alec left the room to get the information.

"Antonio, you promise me that my sister is going to be safe. You promise me that nothing like this will ever happen to her again. You promise me… that when she's your wife… she's your priority… right alongside your kids."

"I swear to you, Jay. She's going to be safe… um… we had talked about going north… back to her family farm, for Christmas. I think it'll be the best way for her to recover."

Jay thought about. Antonio had a point. Being far away from Chicago was going to be the best thing for Jes to make a full recovery. "Go for it. Um, if it's not too much, I think I'll join you guys… once she's had a little time to process all of this."

Alec reappeared. "Good news. The swelling and intracranial pressure have dropped and Jes is awake. She's asking for you." Alec shook all their hands. "I'll be in to check on her later on. Go, be with her. Help her to get through this."

"Thank you, Alec." Antonio hugged him and left the room.

Jacquie and Jay expressed their thanks and quickly followed Antonio up to the ICU.

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* * *

They paused outside her room. She was covered in bruises and her right arm was in a cast and sling.

Antonio knocked on the door. "Can we come in?"

Jes' eyes opened. "Antonio?" Her voice was quaking. She reached out to him with her good arm.

He ran to the bed. "Yeah, baby. It's me. I'm here."

"Antonio." She wept as he took her hand. "I was so scared."

"I know. I know, baby. We all were. You're safe now."

"Did… did you get them?" She whimpered.

Antonio nodded. "We got one. We're still looking for the others."

"It was Andres… he's the one that grabbed me from the alley."

"Laura's boyfriend?" Jay asked as he quietly stepped into the room.

"Jay!" Jes cried out. "You're okay."

"I'm a lot better now, knowing my baby sister is safe." He gently hugged her, mindful of her cast. "Jacquie's here too."

"She is?" Jes looked to the doorway.

Jacquie wiped the tears from her face. "Yeah. I'm here."

"I'm alive… why are you crying?" Jes asked, coughing a little.

"Because I was worried sick about you." Jacquie said. Her voice caught. "We all were."

"So, Andres?" Jay turned the subject back to where they could get information on how Andres, Laura and this other guy were all tied in together.

"He came up behind me, whacked me in the head. I woke up in that basement. My arms were killing me, and I was seeing stars."

"Jay, get Voight." Antonio said. "He should get her statement now… so she doesn't have to relive this more than once."

Jay nodded. "I'll be right back."

"Why'd you guys go to Matador's?" Jes asked.

"I needed to talk to Jay."

"You could've talked to him at the District." She brushed his hair out of his eye.

"I'll tell you about it one day. You need to rest." He kissed her forehead.

Jay came back into the room with Hank in tow. "Jeslyn." He greeted her. "You're safe now. You know that, right?"

Jes nodded weakly. "Yeah."

"Jay said that you were telling them… about what happened." Voight grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the foot of the bed.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm going to take the official statement… it's going to go in the file and it becomes an official part of the investigation. Do you understand?"

Jes nodded. "I do."

"Okay, so can you start from the beginning?" Voight opened his notepad.

Antonio squeezed her hand. "We're here for you."

"I went to the rollout to clear my head. I saw the door was open, so I went outside for some fresh air. I was just about to get out of the alley when I heard a noise behind me… I turned around and caught a glimpse of this tall, Latin guy."

"How tall?" Voight asked.

"A little taller than Jay." Jes coughed a little more. "Can I have some water? Or ice?"

Jacquie nodded and went to get her a glass.

"What else can you tell us?"

"When I came to, I was tied up… in that basement… it was familiar."

"It was our basement." Antonio whispered.

"Oh!" Jes gasped. "Well… that explains some things." She took a sip of the water Jacquie had returned with. "Uh, the Latino got called Andres… by Laura… she was there… they beat me, but… but Laura whispered something to me." She took a little more water. "That she didn't having a choice… she apologized. Then she did a one eighty and started saying these horrible things to me… that I stole her kids and stuff like that. My head was spinning. Between her and Andres, I'd had a few of my ribs broken and tazed a bunch. Then Laura had this other guy brought down… it was Will… Will O'Connor."

"The little shit from the homecoming incident?" Jay exclaimed.

Jes nodded. "One and the same. Turns out, he's Laura's little brother."

"What?" Antonio looked between Jay and Voight. "Laura only has a sister."

"According to Will," Jes said, squeezing Antonio's hand. "Laura's mother stepped out on her dad with Will's dad… when she got pregnant, she passed the baby off as her husband's… and she found Will when she Googled me."

Hank looked to Jay. "Any of this making any sense to you?"

"I'm following." Jay sighed. "Will O'Connor was supposed to be Jes' date to the homecoming dance, her senior year. Two days before the dance, he tried putting the moves on Jes… I'd come home from getting groceries when I caught him trying to take advantage of her. She was 16."

"16 and a senior?" Hank smiled. "Bright cookie… from the start, huh?"

Jes smiled timidly. "Yeah, I guess."

"I throw him off her and called the cops. There's a police report. He got charged and was found guilty of attempted rape and sexual assault on a minor. His parents, being rich, muckety mucks, disowned him. We never heard from him or anything about him again."

Hank took notes vigorously in his notepad. "This… this is a lot of motive."

"You're telling me." Antonio shook his head.

"Jeslyn." Hank looked at her, kindness filled his face, which surprised Jay and Antonio. They'd only ever seen that when it involved Justin and his new family or Erin. "What happened after Will got into the basement?"

"She left with Andres. Will… smacked me around… I didn't help because I told him Jay should've killed him all those years ago." She whimpered. "Then… he cut off my clothes and he… he… he raped me!" She sobbed. "He kept telling I should've just given it up ten years ago. That I had wanted it all that time. That he was finally getting what he had deserved for taking me as a 'pity' date for homecoming."

Antonio held her and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, baby. It's all over. He's never going to be able to do anything to you ever again."

"Then when he finished… Laura and Andres came back down and beat me some more. Basically, I was their punching dummy. I couldn't fight back. Then Laura and Andres started arguing… they went upstairs… I heard a door slam. Will came back down. Told me how he was going to kill me and once Antonio found me… he'd blow you all to hell because Antonio would've trigged the IED he was going to hide under my body. He was all proud… Laura was going to get Diego and Eva back. I told him that was never going to happen. I told him that because of what she had done… CPD's deal with her would be void."

Hank stopped writing. "Was anyone else there when you said that?"

Jes shook her head. "Not that I could see."

"Voight… what's going on?" Antonio looked his boss in the eyes.

"I'm going to finish taking Jes' statement… then we'll talk." Hank turned his attention back to Jes. "Then what happened?"

"He was going to kill me. I heard you guys come in… then it's kinda all a blur. I remember the ambulance… then I woke up here."

"Okay. I'm going to go… uh I'm gonna type this up… I'll be back for you to sign it." Hank got up to leave.

Jay blocked the door. "What aren't you telling us?"

Hank looked between Jay and Antonio. "Now is not the place or the time for this."

"Voight!" Antonio bellowed, drawing attention from the nurses who quickly turned back when Jay flashed his star. "You tell us… right now. What happened when we left my house?"

Voight sighed. "'Tonio. I don't think Jes needs to hear this."

"Hank… please." Jes' voice was a whisper but it still pleaded. "Tell us."

"Jes… I don't… it's not good news and I certainly think you need to hear this when you're supposed to be recovering."

"Voight." Jay looked to him. "If she's asking, she deserves the answer."

"Fine." Hank threw his hands up in the air. "We got a lead on Andres' car. We tracked it to the waterfront. We booked it there… uh… when we got there… there was a body… on fire. Old school cartel move, they put… they put her in the tires and doused it with diesel and lit a match. It was Laura."

Antonio's jaw dropped. "Laura's dead?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry Antonio." Voight sighed. "I'm guessing Andres overheard Jes… and well, he got rid of his rat."

Jes cried out. "I… I did this?"

Hank glared to Jay and Antonio. "This is why I said we'd talk about it later! I don't want her feeling guilty! Andres is a monster… now Laura hid her evidence… we found it. We'll get him, but we really need to question this Will O'Connor to find Andres." He stormed out of the room.

"Antonio… I'm so sorry." Jes wept. "I… I didn't… I didn't mean for this… for this to happen."

Antonio was torn. He was divorced from Laura, but it didn't stop the pain. He had loved her. She was the mother of his children. They'd spent 20 years together. He also knew that his future was with Jes. He was going to marry her. His past shouldn't be darkening his future. He could see that Jay's eyes were on him. They were gauging his reaction. He turned back to Jeslyn. "Baby, you didn't do this. Laura got herself in that mess… she knew the risks. Am I sad that Laura's dead? I can't lie to you and say no… but I certainly don't blame you for this." He took her hand. "I love you… Jeslyn, you and you alone." He kissed her hand. "One day… one day… I'll show you just how much."

"I know, Antonio. I know and I love you… but your ex-wife is dead and I'm… I'm the reason…"

"No, Jes. You're not. You didn't do this." He kissed. "I can't let you take the blame for this. I can assure you that I will never, ever blame you for this."

Jes felt a tear fall down her face. "Do… do you still love me… after all this? I'm broken… again."

"Jes…" Jay stepped towards the bed. "You're not broken."

Jes turned to her brother. "You know."

"Know what?" Jay tried to hide the fact that he knew the truth about what had happened to Jes six years ago.

Jes turned to Antonio and Jacquie, tears welling in her eyes. "You told him?"

Jacquie went to say something, but Antonio stopped her. "I did. Don't blame Jacquie. She didn't want to say anything, but your doctor here… he knows and as part of your healing, he said that everyone had to be on the same page."

Jay took the chair that Voight had left and sat on the other side of Jes. "I pushed him to tell me."

"I never… never wanted you to find out." Jes wept. "You… you must hate me now."

Jay turned to Antonio. "No." He brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "No. I do not hate you. I am worried about you. I only want what's best for you."

"Jay…" She whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you… it's why I didn't tell you. I knew… I knew that you'd feel guilty… you've always done that… ever since your mom took me in."

"Jes… trust me. I wish I could've been there to protect you, but I know damn well that you didn't need me. You had an amazing friend… Jacquie told me that she took care of you. She also told me why you've been so against pain medication since the accident."

"Jay…"

"No, Jes. I understand all that. Antonio helped me to see that… well I can't live in the past. We have to focus on the future, your future."

"I don't think I have much of a future right now." She nodded to the cast and sling. "Not to mention that a psychopathic Colombian is still out there… probably wanting to make sure I'm really dead."

"You have a future." Jay smiled. "You're looking at him." He pointed to Antonio. "He has a plan. I agree with said plan. Now, you're going to rest… Antonio and I are going to go deal with Voight and O'Connor."

"But…" Jes tried to move.

Antonio stopped her. "No, baby. We need to deal with him. No one does that to our family and gets away with it." He looked to Jacquie. "Can you get Gaby and the two of you stay with her… while we deal with Will?"

Jacquie nodded. Antonio turned to leave but Jes grabbed his wrist. "Antonio."

"What is it, baby?"

"I need you to promise me something."

Jacquie and Gaby stood outside the door and watched the exchange.

"You and Jay, you both need to promise me… promise me that you won't give up who you are to get revenge on him."

"What are you talking about, Jes?" Antonio asked.

"I know… I know that when Pulpo shot you… you asked Jay to stop Hank and Al from killing him. That you couldn't live with yourself if he died that way. You believe in the justice system… you can't change those principles now."

"Jes, I can't let the man that did this to you just walk away." Antonio whispered. "I can't stand by and let him haunt your dreams. I can't see you that way again. I love you too much to let that happen."

"Antonio, please… I'm begging you." Her eyes widened. "Please, don't go to the dark side with this. I love the man you are. I don't want to see you lose who you are to this. You can't pull a Voight."

Jay and Antonio exchanged glances. "What are you talking about?"

"Gaby told me… that Voight sometimes goes above and beyond when it comes to personal cases." Her breath was coming in fast and wheezy. "Please… please… please. Just question him and let the courts handle it. I just… ah!"

"Jes!" Jay and Antonio shouted.

"I can't… I can't let you…" Her breathing was getting raspier.

Antonio hit the 'call' button. Jay held his sister's hand. They both tried to calm her. Alec ran into the room.

"What happened?" He asked.

"We were just talking." Jay said. "Then, she couldn't breath… she looked like she was in pain."

"She is in pain." Alec snapped at them. He turned his attention back to Jes. "Jeslyn… Jeslyn, look at me, please."

"Doc… no… no drugs."

"Yes, drugs to ease the pain. They won't get you addicted. I promise you. But if I don't give you something, you could end up in worse condition."

"But…" Jes gasped.

"Jes, trust him. Please." Antonio pleaded.

Jes nodded. Alec took a syringe from his pocket and injected a preset dose of morphine. Alec checked her vitals. "Jes, I know… I know that you have a fear of getting addicted again. You can't get addicted as long as it's being used to treat your pain. Your broken ribs cause pain, which in turn begins to make breathing difficult."

"Trust him, please, Jes." Antonio pleaded.

"Do you trust him?" Jes asked as her breathing began regulating again.

"His wife… was my partner."

Jes looked up at Alec. "I'm sorry."

"Antonio told you." Alec said.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I… I didn't realize." Jes whispered.

"Jeslyn, you have to trust in what we're telling you." Alec squeezed her good shoulder reassuringly. "We're doing this so you can get better. Now, gentlemen, I suggest that you don't get her too excited."

"We're heading to the District. Jacquie and Gaby are staying with her." Jay said.

"Okay." Alec said. "Jeslyn, if you feel any pain, any pain whatsoever, you push the call button and we'll get you a small dose. Okay?"

"Okay." Jes conceded. "Thank you."

"No problem." Alec left the room.

"Promise me, Antonio. Jay." Jes pleaded again.

They nodded. "We promise."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I love you both. I can't lose you to that pit."

"You won't lose us. I promise." Jay kissed her forehead. "We'll be good."

Antonio kissed her lips. "I'll be back, then you, me and the kids we're taking an extended holiday. Somewhere that will be special and will help both of us heal."

"I like the sound of that, Detective." She batted her eyes at him.

Antonio laughed. "Easy, baby. One day at a time."

Jes watched as her brother walked out before Antonio. Antonio turned back and blew her a kiss. Then he took the keys Gaby extended to him and left the room. She knew then and there, that he was in it for the long haul and they'd get through this.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio and Jay hopped in Gaby's car. Antonio looked to Jay. "We have to keep that promise. You know that right?"

Jay nodded. "I know. Doesn't mean I like the fact that that son-of-a-bitch is going to get away with raping my sister and almost killing her… not to mention almost blowing all of us sky high."

Antonio hit the steering wheel. "We may not go all dark side on him, but it doesn't mean we can dish back what he did to Jes."

Jay cocked his head to the side. "What you talking about, brother?"

"Back when we had Ernesto… back when they'd kidnapped Diego… Voight wanted me…"

"To cut the son-of-a-bitch's eye out. I remember… I was there."

"After that… Laura… she came with Eva and Gaby… she told me to do whatever it took, even if it meant using Voight's methods to get Diego back."

"What exactly did you do 'Tonio?"

"I wrapped chains around my fist and I went back to my Golden Glove days. Shattered his ribs… when I went for his face… he gave up that bastard that had Diego."

"If we do that, we should take him out to the silos. We can't kill him in the cage."

"We're not going to kill him, Jay." Antonio turned the car into the District's parking lot. "But we're sure as hell going to make him wish he was dead." He killed the engine and stormed up the stairs.

Jay shook his head. He hadn't been willing to break the code or the oath he took, but he knew damn well that with family, that was the only code that mattered. He headed up after Antonio and prayed that Will O'Connor was still in the cage.

Platt stopped both of them as they entered. "Woah! Hold it there, Detectives."

"Come on Sarge." Jay protested. "Not today."

"How's Jeslyn?" Platt asked.

Antonio answered. "She's going to be okay. Gaby and Jacquie are with her… and we need to talk to Voight."

Trudy eyed them. "Uh huh. He's not really in a mood."

"No shit, Sarge!" Jay growled. "Look, I'm sorry… but my sister is laying in a hospital bed right now… and Antonio's ex is dead… and the son of a bitch that did it… he's still out there!"

Platt froze. Normally, she'd rip a subordinate a new one for comments like that, but she knew exactly what had happened with Jeslyn. "He's in his office."

Jay ran up the stairs. Platt stopped Antonio. "Dawson, I'm sorry… for everything with Laura and now this shit with Jeslyn… whatever you need… I'll have your back."

"Thanks, Trudy." Antonio smiled. "Appreciate it." He headed up the stairs in Jay's stead.

Jay and Voight were waiting for him in Voight's office. Al joined them as soon as Antonio stepped in the door.

"Boss…" Antonio said, taking a seat.

"Now, Jeslyn… she knows she's not to blame for what went down… right?" Al asked.

"She seems to understand it." Jay sighed. "But I don't know how she's going to heal from… what they did to her."

"Antonio and you… you'll both get her through it. She's strong." Voight said. "Now, what are we going to do about our guest in the cage."

Jay and Antonio exchanged glances. "He needs to be taught a lesson… don't fuck with a cop's sister." Antonio said.

"Or a cop's future wife." Jay added.

"Well, Al and I can deal with him, or you two can do it… but if you start, you're going to have to finish."

Jay replied. "We promised Jes that he wasn't going to be dead at the end of it… but that doesn't mean that we can't inflict a little pain to get answers outta the prick."

Al looked to Voight. "I think that works. Plus, we throw him in gen pop and tell his new friends about his exploits, past and present… well, they'll take care of the problem for us."

"We can live with that." Antonio said.

"What about your shoulder, 'Tonio?" Voight asked.

"If you don't rat on me, Sarge… I'll be just fine."

"Then, let's go."

Al went to get Will while Antonio and Jay piled into Voight's Escalade. They headed out to the silos. There, they'd be uninterrupted and they'd get the rest of the information that they were going to need to get Andres for Jes' kidnapping and for Laura's murder.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Gaby and Jacquie made small talk with Jes to keep her mind off of what had happened.

"Gaby… do you know why your brother would want to go with my brother to Matador's?" Jes asked.

Gaby shrugged. "It can't be for sparring… Antonio's arm's still in a sling. He won't be boxing for a while."

"Maybe they needed to have a little heart to heart." Jacquie suggested.

"About what?" Jes really did want to know the real reason.

"You would be the obvious reason." Gaby pointed out.

"Me?"

"Yeah, Jes. You." Gaby smiled. "Maybe they were discussing Antonio's intentions with you."

"We already live together… Jay caught us in bed together… I'm not really sure what else there could possibly be left to talk about." Jes laughed lightly.

"Maybe it's about…" Jacquie pointed to her left ring finger. "Have you guys talked about that?"

"Marriage?" Jes thought back. The morphine was blurring some things together. "Not really. I know I told Gaby… a while back, that if Antonio ever asked… I'd say…" She turned to Gaby. "Did you talk to him about that?"

"I might have dropped a hint."

"Gaby!" Jes exclaimed. "Oh… ribs… shouldn't be doing that."

"Should I get Dr. Willhite?" Jacquie asked.

"Alec's her doctor… does…"

"Alec knows Antonio and I are together and yes I know his late wife was Antonio's partner for most of his career." Jes replied. "And, no Jacquie… I don't need more meds just yet. I just shouldn't be laughing with broken ribs."

"That would be wise advice." Jacquie smiled. "I think that Antonio might be thinking about a next step with you… near death experiences and all that."

Jes sighed. "Gaby, did he… ever hint that… he'd want to re-marry?"

Gaby squeezed her hand. "He did… he also said he'd marry you in a heartbeat. He loves you, Jes. Seeing him waiting for news… on you… I've never seen my brother like that except for when Diego was kidnapped."

Jes leaned back into her pillows. "I'd really like that one day."

There was a knock on the door and Alec was there. "How are you feeling?"

"The ribs hurt when I laughed." Jes said.

"Well, I'd recommend not laughing too hard, but laughter is known to be a powerful medication." He smiled. "I, uh… I wanted to go over a couple things with you… from the accident six years ago and compare it to what I've found in today's exam."

"Sure."

"I think it may be best, if I were to discuss this with you alone."

"I'll go call my parents. They're going to want an update." Gaby smiled and she left the room.

"Miss Lennox… that means you too."

"No." Jes said. "She stays. She's the closest thing I have to family right now."

"Okay… I was reviewing the injuries you sustained from the crash… and compared them to the findings from today… in your chart it said that your pelvis had been crushed and had altered the position of your uterus."

"That's correct."

"When we did the CT, MRI and ultrasounds today… that damage was no longer there. Scarring, yes, but not permanent damage." Alec said, taking Gaby's seat next to Jes. "When I noticed this I ran a comparative hormone panel."

"What are you trying to say?" Jes was confused.

"I'm saying that despite all the hell you've been through since you were kidnapped… what they did to you… it seems that your uterus healed and shifted back over the last few years… that or you were misdiagnosed six years ago. Your hormone levels have regulated. They're right where a 26 year old, healthy woman's levels should be."

"You're saying… that… I might actually be able to have kids one day?"

Alec nodded. "I know that a lot of patients with those kinds of injuries… they can become infertile… I'm not guaranteeing that you can get pregnant… there still is scarring to deal with, but because you were so young when it happened and you were pregnant at the time… it's possible that the body just needed an extended period of time to heal."

"Wow. Uh… could… if I am…could what happened today… or whenever it happened… could I?"

"Get pregnant?" Alec finished her train of thought. "I doubt it, but to be safe I did prescribe the Plan B pill. It'll be here pretty quick. It will prevent any pregnancy from occurring from the rape… but if you and Antonio have been active… you may have gotten pregnant from him…"

"It would prevent any pregnancy?" Jes concluded.

Alec nodded again. "Have you and Antonio talked about having kids?"

Jes sighed. "I told him… when I told him about what had happened, that I'd never be able to have kids… because that's what I had been told after the accident."

"No one ever looked into it again?"

"I didn't see the point at the time, Doc. I was in a bad place. I never thought I'd meet someone like Antonio… never mind plan on settling down."

"Jes…" Jacquie rubbed her shoulder. "It won't change anything. He loves you either way. He told you that."

"I know that… but… uh, Doc… before you give me that pill, could you… could you do a test?"

"You and Antonio haven't been using protection?" He asked politely.

"No. We haven't been. We figured it wouldn't matter because I hadn't had sex since I had been raped the first time. He hadn't had any since Laura left… so what was the point… I couldn't get pregnant… or at least… so I thought."

"I can definitely arrange that." Alec got up. "Do you want me to get Antonio back here… to hear the results?"

"I don't want to get his hopes up." Jes said. "Or disappoint him."

Alec left the room to order a pregnancy test.

"Jacquie… what do I do?" Jes sighed. "I… I never…"

"You heard the doc… wait and see." Jacquie smiled. "You might be able to have the family you always wanted."

"Antonio already has two kids… Diego's 10 and Eva's going to be 14 in a few months." Jes said. "I don't know if he'd want another baby this late in the game."

"Jes, you just have to talk to him about it when the time's right. Just, wait to see what the test says."

"What test?" Gaby asked.

The girls told her to sit as they laid out the news that Alec had just delivered. They also made her swear that she wouldn't say a word of this to anyone, especially Antonio.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"You can't do this!" Will shouted.

"You can scream all you want, O'Connor… no one can hear you." Voight leaned up against the hood of his SUV.

"This is police brutality." He gasped.

Antonio used his good arm and grabbed Will by his neck. "What exactly do you call what you did to my girl, huh?"

"You… your… your girl?" Will whimpered.

"Yeah, his girl and my sister." Jay landed a one-two combo to Will's gut. "You remember that, don't you Will?"

"Look… she ruined… she ruined…me." He gasped. "She was asking…"

He didn't get a chance to finish that sentence. Jay wound up and hit him square in the jaw. "My sister didn't ask for anything!"

"Al, undo my sling." Antonio turned to Olinsky.

"You sure about that?"

"Just do it." Antonio wanted to bash this prick's head into pulp. He had to restrain himself because he'd promised Jes that Will would survive.

Jay kicked Will to the ground and went into Olinsky's trunk and grabbed some chains. They were going to pull an Ernesto. Antonio took one of the chains and wrapped it around it good hand. He get first crack at it. Jay grabbed Will and cuffed him to the fence.

"You're going to talk… then, maybe… you'll get to go to prison." He snarled to Will.

"You can't do this. I have rights!" Will shouted.

Antonio got right into his face. "You lost those rights the instant you laid a finger on Jeslyn." He pulled back and punched Will right in the ribs. He felt the rib give way and heard a satisfying crunch. "How did you really know Laura?"

"She's my sister… half… sister." Will gasped for air. "She… she found out when she looked into Jes…"

Antonio punched him again. Will screamed. Al and Hank just stood back. They would make sure that Jay and Antonio didn't go over the edge… but they also were going to make sure that Will O'Connor could never darken Jeslyn's doorway ever again.

"How did she find you?" Antonio's arm was killing him. He handed the chain off to Jay.

"I ran… ran the drugs… for Andres."

"You were his mule." Jay said as he wound the chain around his fist.

"Yes." Will sobbed.

Jay punched him on the other side, more ribs cracked.

"Did Andres know… there was a mole?" Jay was readying himself for another hit.

"He suspected there was one… he had no proof… but… I think he heard… when…"

Jay punched him again and again. Antonio had to pull him back. "He's still gotta answer the questions, Jay."

Jay nodded. "Do you know where we can find Andres?"

Will shook his head. "No."

Jay punched him again and again.

"No more!" Will gasped. "No… no more."

"Then talk." Antonio snarled. "Now!"

"He's got a place… out by the lake… it's where he'd go."

"We need more than that." Jay grabbed his throat.

"I don't know anymore…"

Voight stepped up. "O'Connor, listen and listen closely… Andres… he kidnapped one of my team's family members… you raped her and you both beat her within an inch of her life… now unlike these two, I didn't promise Jeslyn that you'd walk out of here alive. I'm honestly thinking I should do what Andres did with your half-sister."

"Voight…" Antonio tried to stop him.

"Enough, 'Tonio." Voight glared at Will. "She's dead… burned in a ring of tires… painful way to go… luckily for her… she was dead before the fire… you… well, you won't be so lucky."

"No!" Will exclaimed. "No, you're lying."

"No, he's not." Jay said.

Voight grabbed his phone and shoved the picture of Laura's burned corpse into Will's face.

Will broke down. He told them everything. Antonio and Jay put the chains away and went to take Will down. Voight stopped them.

"Boss, he goes to lock-up." Antonio reminded Voight.

"NO." Voight barked. "This son of bitch ain't getting off that easy."

"Hank…" Antonio pleaded. "We promised Jes."

"You did, but I didn't. I think of Jeslyn like a daughter… I had to see what he did to her. The photos and rape kit report… he sickens me!"

"Voight, toss him in Stateville and he'll be skewered in a week."

"Nah… We've got this… take Al's car back. Go tell Jes that this is dealt with, and that you kept your word."

"But!" Jay protested.

"It won't be on either of you, nor can Jeslyn feel any guilt. They're not going to find him." Voight said. "Now, GO!"

Antonio knew there was no point in arguing with Voight anymore. He took Al's keys and tossed them to Jay. "You drive, I'll rearrange my sling."

Al walked over to Voight. Will O'Connor was going to be sitting pretty with the fish at the bottom of Lake Michigan courtesy of an old-fashioned Chicago Necklace. They were going to sleep fine tonight knowing that one sick monster was off the street for good and he'd never darken their family's doorway again.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio and Jay rushed back to Chicago Med after leaving Olinsky's car at the District. They were drained, both physically and emotionally. This whole thing had worn them right down.

"You, uh… you got a plan for when you want to ask my sister to marry you?" Jay asked, hoping that a brighter subject would lighten the mood before they got to Jes' room again.

"I… I've had the ring for the last few weeks… I was going to wait til the holidays, but then I realized it was clichéd… then I got shot…"

"Life's too short."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. I want to do when we're up north, but now... I think I may move up my plan."

"Big thing, or small and private?"

"I want my family and… and hers to know how much I love her… I'd want all of you guys there… if we can swing it."

"Good plan. I look… I'm looking forward to being able to call you brother." Jay patted his back.

"I swear to you, Jay. Jes is everything to me and the kids. There's nothing more in this world that I want than for her to be happy."

"I know, man. I know. I couldn't ask for a better man for her. You… you're a great man, Antonio." They got to the elevator.

"Don't go all soft on me, bro." Antonio laughed. "I'm gonna miss the hard-ass Ranger big brother routine if you do."

They got off on the ICU floor and headed for Jes' room. Jes was resting.

"How's she doing?" Antonio asked.

Jacquie looked at her best friend. "Considering the hell she's been through… she's doing good. She's strong. She listened to your doctor friend… she's taking the meds and she's going to be happy to see you guys."

"Did you?" Gaby let the thought trail off.

Antonio shook his head. "We kept our promise."

"So, he's getting locked away?" Jacquie asked.

The guys pulled the girls into the hall and shut the door. They quickly and quietly explained what had happened with Voight.

"Do we tell Jes?"

"No." Jay said. "This is one thing… she definitely doesn't need to hear."

"Our lips are sealed." Gaby answered. She looked to Jacquie. "I think we should let Antonio have some time alone with Jes… she's got some stuff to talk to him about."

Jacquie nodded. "Uh yeah. Jay, can I get you to take me home, then you can come back and spend time with her."

"Yeah." Jay said. "Yeah."

* * *

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* * *

Gaby, Jay and Jacquie left and Antonio slipped into Jes' room.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey yourself." He kissed her forehead, then her lips.

"Is… is it done?"

He nodded. "Yeah and we kept our promise."

"Thank you." She smiled. "Um… Dr. Willhite came and told me some things… and I think you should hear them."

"Is everything okay? Baby, you're freaking me out a little bit here."

"I see Antonio's back." Alec's voice said softly. "Ready to talk to him?"

Jes nodded.

"Alec, be straight forward here… am I going to lose her?"

"No, Antonio. She's not dying… but there is something that you specifically need to hear… or well, see." Alec pulled in an ultrasound machine.

"Alec, I'm really fucking lost right now… not to mention that I've been going almost two days without sleep."

"It'll be worth it, Antonio. I made him wait until you were here." Jes squeezed his hand. "Or, at least I hope that you'll…"

Alec lifted Jes' gown and began the ultrasound. "Right there."

Antonio squinted. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

Alec pointed to the upper corner of the screen. "That."

Antonio leaned in closer. "Is that?" He looked between Jes and Alec.

"Yeah." Jes whispered.

"But how?" Antonio was in shock. "You were told…"

"She was misdiagnosed." Alec said, wiping off the jelly and cleaning the ultrasound wand. "She was 19… she had been pregnant… all that… well it lead to her being misdiagnosed."

"So, I'm going to be a dad?" Antonio's eyes began to fill with tears, and for once, they weren't tears of fear, worry or pain.

Jes nodded. "Yeah." She stroked his cheek. "We're going to have a baby."

Antonio kissed her, careful not to hurt her. "Oh, baby. Oh… wow!"

"Does that mean you're happy?" Jes asked, her own eyes began to fill with tears.

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. I'm really happy."

"I'll leave you two alone. Let me know if you anything…"

"Alec?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah?"

"What about the meds?"

"Well, now that we know she was misdiagnosed and she's pregnant… we've changed them up. She's going to be fine and that baby is going to be just healthy."

"How didn't she… miscarry?" Antonio was genuinely worried. He knew that trauma was a leading cause of miscarriage. "Not that I'm complaining here."

"When a woman is pregnant, her body's main instinct is to protect the baby. It's a miracle on how it works. Science can't explain it very well, but any damage she got in the attack will heal a little faster because of the pregnancy. It has to do with the stem cells that are formed by the fetus."

"Wow." Antonio kissed Jes' forehead. "Just wow."

"How… how far long am I?" Jes asked. She'd forgotten to ask when he first told her about the pregnancy.

"About four to five weeks."

"Thank you, Dr. Willhite." Jes smiled.

"Alec. You're family. You can call me Alec. Congratulations." He waved and wheeled the ultrasound out of the room.

Antonio took Jes' hand. "Did you suspect something?"

"No. My cycles were always weird… when I didn't get my period… I didn't think of it." She sniffled. "We never used protection… so I guess."

"Baby, don't overthink this… please. After everything we've been through in the last couple weeks, I think we deserve some good news. Don't you?"

Jes laughed a little. "Yeah. You're right."

He kissed her. "Who else… you know… knows?"

"Uh, Jacquie and Gaby were here when he told me."

"And?"

"Well, your sister said that at 36, you should know how to use a condom."

"Of course, Gaby would say that." He stroked her cheek. "What about Jacquie?"

"She was shocked… you know. So was I. Then she was angry that the doctor then had told me that without really knowing if it was true… then she was excited because she's going to be an auntie."

"You are going to be the best mom out there, you know that right?"

"Oh my God!"

"What?! Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing… not physically. Eva and Diego."

"They're with my parents. They flew them to New York to stay with Javier until this was over."

"No… not that… what about them… a new baby…"

"Jes. Overthinking… plus… they asked me a while back if we'd ever talked about having kids together."

"They did?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. They did. They said that they'd be okay with it… as long as they were still our kids."

"Why wouldn't they be?" Jes asked.

"They have friends whose parents got divorced, remarried and had kids with the new spouse… their friends got put to the side."

"No. I'd never do that. They're your kids… they're our kids. They'll never be thought of as less than a child you and I have together. Especially since this is completely unexpected."

"I told them you'd say that." Antonio grinned. "I also reminded them that a real family doesn't push kids aside just because a new baby comes into the picture. I never told them that you couldn't have kids… so at least we don't have to explain how that doctor messed up six years ago."

"I was worried that… that you wouldn't want… another baby. You know, because of how old Eva and Diego are, and well your age too."

"Jes, whatever we have to face, we face it together. Babies, houses… hormonal teenagers… I only want to do it with you."

"I love you." She pulled his face to hers and she kissed him. "Always." She yawned.

"You should rest." He smiled. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jes nodded into a sleep. Antonio sat and watched her. His whole world had been spun around and flipped inside out. His phone vibrated. He looked at it. It was a text from Gaby.

- _Did she tell you?_

 _\- Yeah._ He texted back.

 _\- Congratulations, big brother. :-D_

 _\- Thanks lil sis… she's resting. Don't tell anyone else._

 _\- My lips are sealed. Night. ;-)_

 _\- Good night, Gaby._

He locked his phone and slipped it in his pocket. He leaned back in the chair, not letting go of her hand. He needed to be there in case she had a night terror. He knew it was highly likely, but he also knew that since they'd been together, the night terrors were nearly non-existent. He held her hand and he began to rethink his plan of proposing. Maybe waiting that long was going to be too long. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time. It was almost midnight. He sighed. It was going to be too late to call New York. He'd call first thing in the morning.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, a lot of twists, turns and new adventures. This is the result of a long week of college classes and uncooperative students in my own teaching job. Let me know what you think. Nicole**_


	19. I Won't Give Up

_**A/N: Well, wasn't that last chapter exciting? I needed a couple more twists and turns… don't worry, we're on the up and up now. Happy chapters to come for a little while. Let me know what you think! All the love… Nicole**_

* * *

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* * *

It was around six when Jay got up and showered. His arms felt weighted down by lead. He turned on the hottest tolerable setting and stood under it. He wanted to see Jes. He turned off the water and dried off. He opened his medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Advil. He popped two and swallowed them with some water. He brushed his teeth and went to get dressed. He grabbed his star and gun. He wasn't going to be risking anything today. Andres was still out there, but they were narrowing down where he could be hiding. Every task force possible had flooded Chicago overnight to get him. He would check on Jes then he'd go in and help hunt down this monster. It would be the best gift that he could ever give his little sister. He grabbed his jacket, locked the door and headed out. It didn't take long to get to Med. Mayor Emanuel had issued a citywide curfew. No one except law enforcement would be on the streets for the next couple hours. He walked into Chicago Med and was greeted by April.

"Detective." She smiled.

"I'm here to see my sister, before I go catch the monster that started this madness."

"Antonio mentioned you'd be here. He never left her side."

"He won't be. He's on medical leave." Jay smiled. "He'd better be listening to what the good Doctor Tramble told him."

"He is." April laughed. "We're all making sure of it. They should be awake. Jes needed some blood work down around 5."

"Everything okay?"

"Considering what that poor woman's been through? She's doing pretty fucking amazing."

"Thanks April." He said as he walked towards Jes' room. He rapped on the door. "Everyone decent in here?"

"Yes, Jay." Jes snickered. "Not a lot a couple can do when we're both wrapped in slings and I'm in a cast."

Jay walked in and pulled the teddy bear he'd bought the night before from behind his back. "For you."

"Very cute." Jes smiled as she took it in her good hand. "It's so soft."

"I remembered that you loved all sorts of soft stuffies. I figured, why not have another one for your collection."

Antonio and Jes exchanged a smiled. While they didn't want everyone to know about their baby just yet, because she was still in the danger window, they had agreed that Jay needed to know.

"What? What are you two smiling about?" He looked to Jes' left hand, thinking maybe Antonio had already popped the question.

"Um, you may want to sit." Antonio pointed to the empty chair on the other side of the bed.

"Ooookay…" Jay took the pre-offered chair. "Everything okay here?"

"Yeah. Um, we learned that… the diagnosis I was given six years ago… the one about being unable to have kids… it was wrong." Jes grinned. She was very excited. The pain she felt in her ribs and back couldn't numb the joy she felt.

"So…"

"You're going to be an uncle, Jay." Jes nodded to Antonio and he reached into his pocked and handed Jay an envelope.

"What?" He took the envelope and pulled out the still from the ultrasound. "You're pregnant?!"

"Yeah." Antonio squeezed Jes' hand. "She is. We're going to be parents."

"Uh, didn't you guys think about protection?"

Jes glared at her brother. "Really? That's all you can say?"

Jay stared at the black and white image. He couldn't believe it. In less than a year, so much had changed, and so much more was still changing. "Wow! Oh, Jes… I know how much… how much this means to you." He got up and hugged her carefully. "If anyone deserves this, it's you guys. Even if you're doing it a little backwards." He shook Antonio's hand. "You better be sure you're treating her right."

"You know I will, Jay."

"Have you told the kids yet?" Jay asked.

Antonio shook his head. "My parents took 'em to New York, get them away from this shit show. I'm waiting for them to be back here to tell them. It's not something I want to tell them over the phone."

"Fair enough. Uh, look… there's a citywide manhunt for Andres… I'm headed in to help bring him down. FBI, ICE, DEA and half a dozen other agencies are all here. The city's on lockdown until he's caught."

"Be careful, Jay. Please?"

"I promise, Jes. I won't be getting myself into any trouble. I just want the son-of-a-bitch caught for what he did to you."

"I love you, Jay." She reached and took his hand. "Antonio, uh… did he tell you that once I'm discharged we're headed north for a while… to heal."

"Yeah. I agreed with him. I'll come out for Christmas or New Years… and you come back, when you're both ready." Jay squeezed his hand. "Chicago won't go anywhere, and we'll make sure that P2K runs smoothly until you're back."

"I appreciate it." She smiled. "Don't tell anyone… about the baby… we want to wait til after three months… you know… to be safe."

"I promise." He kissed her cheek. "I'll come back and check on you later." He hugged Antonio. "You take care of her." He whispered.

"I will." Antonio whispered back. "Get that bastard… dead or alive."

Jay nodded and headed out.

"You should call your parents." Jes said, stroking the teddy bear.

"And tell them what?"

"To come back. We should tell the kids, sooner rather than later." She smiled. "When do you think breakfast will be here?"

"Hungry?"

"Yup. Starving." Jes grinned.

"Good. You'll need to be eating regularly. I'll go see if I can get something edible here. Be right back." He got up and left to find some food.

Jes laid back and thought about everything. Despite her thoughts on being cursed, she knew that Jay had been right all along. She wasn't cursed… she just had a bad streak of bad luck.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio had grabbed some breakfast sandwiches and headed back to the ICU. His phone began to vibrate. "Hello?"

"Dad?" Eva's voice surprised him.

"Hey, sweetheart. Everything okay?"

"We saw the news. Abuelo and Abuela tried to stop us, but it's all over everything."

"What is?"

"What happened… with you and Mom."

"Eva…" He sighed. "I… We're fine. I was going to call a little later on, but since you called first… you guys are safe. I'm safe, Jes is safe… it's over. Now, is Abuela or Abuelo up?"

"They've been up since 5."

"Typical." Antonio laughed. "Can I talk to one of them?"

Eva said yes and handed the phone off. Emmanuel's voice greeted him. "Hijo."

"Papi. Se acabó. Trae los niños de vuelta a Chicago."

"Es seguro?"

"Sí, Papi, es seguro. Iremos a la finca de Jes para Navidad. Es tranquilo y ambos podremos recuperarnos." Antonio listened as his father asked if it was still going to be the whole family. "Queremos a toda la familia, sí. Me dijo que les preguntara."

His dad agreed and told him that they'd be on the first flight out to Chicago. Javier and his family would head out at the end of the week. Antonio told him to tell Javier to fly directly to Edmonton from New York and that they'd pick them up at the airport when they arrived. He proceeded to explain that the doctors were expecting to discharge Jes in the next day or so, providing that her test results stayed where they were at.

"Te amo, hijo." Emmanuel said.

"Te amo, Papi. Los veo a todo en unas horas." He ended the call and went back to Jes.

"Here are the breakfast sandwiches and some OJ." He handed her one. "Eva called. They saw the news… turns out it's all over social media."

"That I was…"

"No, not that kind of information. But the news has it that there's a citywide manhunt for Andres… that you were kidnapped, yes… but no other details. Voight and I made sure that no one was ever going to hear that. All that's been said is that you had been kidnapped, but you were found and that you are receiving medical treatment. We're trying to get people to rat out Andres."

Jes took a few bites of her sandwich. "Will the Office be willing to let him ruin their name?"

"I don't know. He basically runs the show from what I was told. The Joint Task force is taking the Office apart as we speak. Right now, they just need the head of the serpent."

Jes drank some of the orange juice Antonio had also managed to find. "I hope they catch him soon… I want to go… well, I don't know if I'll be able to go home."

"The memories?" Antonio asked.

"They violated our home, Antonio." She finished the sandwich.

"I know, baby. I know… there are two choices… one: we sell the house and move… or two: we erase everything that could be a trigger, remodel the house so you make your home again."

"Either option is expensive." Jes pointed out.

Antonio nodded. "Yes, but you are worth it. I will do whatever it takes to help you heal from this. To know that no one can ever hurt you again."

"You'd honestly pack up, sell the house and move somewhere else in Chicago."

"Yes. For you. You are my priority. You and our children. All three of them." He laughed. "I can't believe I'm going to be a dad again."

"Believe it." Alec Willhite stood in the doorway. "How's my favourite patient doing?"

"I ate breakfast. The pain in my ribs is about a 7 compared to yesterday's 25."

"That would be because we have you on a longer lasting, but safe, pain medication. It also helps that you're calm."

Antonio smiled. "I think that's something I will be making sure she is for the months to come."

"Good plan." Alec came and checked over Jes' vitals. "Everything else is looking good. I'm thinking that tomorrow or the next day, you can go home. I understand that there's the possibility of travel in the very near future?"

Jes nodded. "We're going back to my family farm in Alberta. We're going to spend the holidays and Antonio's medical leave there. It's out of the public eye and we can recover from this insanity."

"That's a good plan. I'm not sure how I feel about you traveling long distances by car though." Alec tapped his fingers on the bed rails. "It's risky for clots."

"Could we fly?" Jes asked. "I'm not really a fan of a three day car ride."

"How long is the flight?"

"About four to five hours." Antonio said. "I looked it up last night."

"It shouldn't be too bad. I'd recommend doing a two-part flight if possible. Gives you time to stretch your legs and move around a bit." Alec smiled. "Otherwise, I don't see why it should be an issue. I agree that some distance between you guys and Chicago will probably be best for the healing process. I'm going to go finish my rounds and check on you later on. Let us know if you need anything."

"Will do. Thanks Alec." Jes smiled.

After Alec had left, Jes and Antonio began to discuss the plans for their family Christmas. It wasn't going to be a traditional Christmas, but it was going to be theirs.

"You told your parents that we want them and Javier's family there right?"

Antonio laughed. "Yes. I insisted. They'll be there."

"Think Hank will let Jay come out for Christmas?" Jes asked, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"I think at this point, that Hank Voight will do whatever you ask of him." Antonio shook his head. "Not sure what spell you cast on that man, but you've got him wrapped around your little finger… like a daughter does to a father."

"He's rough around the edges, yeah, but he's a teddy bear too." Jes pointed out. "Will Jacquie be coming?"

"To Christmas?"

"No, here… to see me." Jes smirked. "I already invited her, Kevin and Vinessa if they wanted to join us."

"What did she say?"

"Depends on what Kevin wants to do."

"Fair enough." Antonio took her hand. "I see them getting engaged over the holidays."

"Really?" Jes squinted. "I'm thinking Valentine's Day."

"That's cheesy… even for Kevin."

Jes wiggled in the bed. "A bet then?"

"What's the bet?" Antonio leaned in.

"Winner gets the loser to be their slave for a day."

"I hardly think that's fair, baby." Antonio kissed the tip of her nose. "I'd hate to have you do more work than you already do."

"You won't have to worry about it. I'm right."

"How could you… did he tell you?"

Jes smirked. "I'm not saying… is it a wager?"

Antonio couldn't resist. Even if he lost, he'd cater to her until the end of time. "It is."

They shook hands and laughed. They continued to plan the Christmas celebrations.

It was around noon when Antonio's cell began to vibrate. "It's my parents."

"Are they here already?"

"I'll find out." He slid his finger across the answer bar. "Hola, Mami." He listened as his mother went on about getting through security and how hard it was to get a ride. "Mami, where are you?"

"On our way to you." She replied.

"Can you stop at the house… ask Diego to run in and get the anillo."

"Anillo? Antonio… qué.…"

"Mami, I'll explain everything when you get here. Diego knows where it is."

"Sí, hijo. Te quiero." His mother hung up.

"What's… an…" Jes yawned. "Anillo?"

Antonio snickered at Jes' butchering of the word. "It's something I need here. It's hard to translate."

"Oh, it's one of your Dominican things."

Antonio nodded. "There you go."

"I think, over our break, I should start learning Spanish." Jes' eyes were heavy. She was tired.

"That is a wonderful idea, love. Right now though, I think that you should take a nap. Between healing and growing another human being, you're going to be tired a lot more easily now."

Jes nodded. "You're… you're right."

Antonio pulled the covers over her. "I'm staying right here. Not going anywhere. I love you."

"I… I love you too, Antonio." Jes nodded off into a peaceful slumber.

This gave Antonio time to work out his surprise for her. He grabbed his notebook and set to work.

* * *

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* * *

Emmanuel stopped the car in front of Antonio's house. A patrol unit was still there. After he identified himself and Diego, they went in and got what Antonio had asked for, including his guitar. Emmanuel wasn't sure what his son was up to, but he was really praying for something good.

"All done, Abuelo." Diego smiled.

"Bien… bien. Let's go. I think your parents are going to be very happy to see you."

"I'll text Dad and let him know we're on our way."

They got back in the car and headed off to Chicago Med.

* * *

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* * *

Jay was in the middle of giving directions to the task force when his cell began to go off. "Hold on." He answered. "Halstead."

"We found him." Voight's gruff voice came over the speaker. "Get everyone to the abandoned dry dock just south of Navy Pier."

"Roll out!" Jay shouted. "Dry dock off Navy Pier!"

He got in Erin's car and together they floored it to the waterfront. They prayed that they'd get this monster alive so he'd get every possible punishment under the sun. Jay knew, however, that if Voight got his hands on Andres first, it was likely that they'd find him burning in a ring of tires.

Andres was holed up in one of the dry dock's storage sheds. He wasn't going to be talked down. Voight gave Jay the sign to grab his rifle and get to a higher location. Jay knew that if Antonio had been here, it would be Antonio that would get to take the shot, but at least now, if Andres refused to comply Jay would get to be the one to take him down. He set up his rifle and got in position.

"I have the shot." He whispered into his comm.

Voight was shouting to Andres. Andres' response was for Voight to go fuck himself. "Take the shot."

Jay took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger. There was a shatter of glass followed by shouts and a clatter of people trying to get into the shed. Jay's hands were shaking. It was over. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and put away his rifle. He got down from his stoop and went to join the rest of Intelligence on the ground. Al and Kevin were the first ones to join him.

"You got 'im." Kevin patted him on the back. "Clean and instant kill."

"It's over." Jay sighed. "It's finally all fucking over."

Al took the rifle. "It is… now I think you need a little closure. Go see for yourself then head to Chicago Med and tell Antonio and Jeslyn. This is going to help them heal too."

"Thanks Al… Thank you." Jay took a few halting steps to the shed and peered inside. Sure enough, Andres was dead. The hole in his head was very obvious.

Voight approached him and put his hand on his shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"It's over, right?"

Voight nodded. "Yes, it's over. The Joint Task Force just confirmed that the rest of the higher ups of the Office have all either been arrested or killed."

"So, our family… is finally safe." Jay heaved a sigh.

"For now. We're the good guys, there's always going to be bad guys out there to get us, but for now, they're safe. They can finally start the healing process."

"Can… can I get a couple days off, to spend time with them?"

"I wouldn't even think of stopping you. Spend the time you need with them. I'm thinking that we all need a little bit of a break."

"Thanks, Sarge." Jay shook his hand. "Call me if you need me for anything."

"You got it. Now, go… go see your sister." Voight patted him on the back and walked towards the rest of Intelligence that was cleaning up the mess.

Jay approached Erin. "Hey."

"Hey. You okay?" She asked.

Jay nodded. "I am. I'll be better when I can tell Jes that she's finally safe."

"Good plan. I'm glad she's going to be okay."

"Antonio is going to be there for her no matter what…"

"Jay, she's always going to need her big brother." Erin hugged him tightly. "Need a ride to Med?"

"That would be great."

"What else is a partner for?" Erin laughed.

Together, they headed off to go and bring a little bit of sunshine into what was probably the darkest time for Antonio and Jes.

* * *

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* * *

While Jes had been napping, Antonio had texted Gaby to ask her to come by.

"Hey." Gaby hugged Antonio when she arrived. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… uh it's great actually… I… I want to propose to Jes… tonight."

"Like, tonight tonight?"

"No, Gaby… tomorrow's tonight. What do you think?"

Gaby laughed. "When did you have time to sneak out and buy a ring?"

"I bought it almost a month ago… I was going to propose New Year's Eve, but I can't wait that long."

"Where is it?"

"I asked Papi to take Diego to the house and get it… that and the guitar."

"So, what do you need me for?"

"I want you to get the kids, Mami, Papi… Javi and his family are going to be coming in too… and Jay and Jacquie… meet us in the park… the one we used to go to all the time."

"The one with the best view of the skyline?" Gaby smiled.

"Yeah. I'm going to tell her it's a celebration that it's all over… then I'm going to ask her to marry me."

"You really want an audience?"

Antonio raised an eyebrow. "Gaby, please."

"Okay, deal." She hugged her brother tightly. "I'm so happy for you guys. You are destined to be together."

"I know we are." He looked back into the room. She was still sleeping. "Look, can you do that and I'll send the text when we're on our way?"

Gaby nodded. "Definitely."

"What else do you have planned there, Gaby?"

"I'm hurt!" She feigned heart pain.

"Gabriela…" He used his 'Dad' tone.

"I want to throw you guys a small get together at Molly's for after. Everyone in the house is asking about her."

Antonio sighed. "Okay. Just can't drag it out too long… she's gotta be back here by ten for them to give her her meds and draw the blood work to determine if she can be discharged tomorrow."

"Deal." Gaby turned to leave.

"And Gaby… not a word about the other... surprise."

"My lips are sealed 'Tonio." She grinned. "Talk to you later."

Once Jes had woken up from her nap, she had lunch and they continued to plan for the Christmas celebration. Antonio and Jes had basically finished the plans for the holidays. They had even worked out on how they were going to tell the kids about the baby. It was still surreal that they were going to be parents. Antonio knew that it would be a major change in their life, but it was a welcome one.

"So, I was thinking…" Antonio smiled.

"Dangerous process." Jes laughed.

"I know… bad me… I think we should get you out of her for a little while tonight. Get some fresh air… clear our heads."

"What about Andres?" Jes wanted out of the hospital, but she also wanted to ensure that she wasn't going to be used as target practice anymore.

"Well, he's not going to be problem anymore." Jay's voice came from the doorway.

"You made an arrest?" Jes asked.

Jay came into the room. "He wouldn't stand down… so we took him down… more specifically I did."

"Oh… Jay." Jes reached to her brother. "I… I don't know what to say."

"Just tell me that you and that baby are going to be healthy and Antonio is going to take care of you forever."

"That's a given, Jay." Jes smiled.

"Then, it's all worth it, sis." Jay smiled. "All that matters is that you're happy, healthy and safe."

"If he's gone… then we're fine." Jes patted the chair next to her. "Maybe you should come with us tonight."

"Where are we going?" Jay looked to Antonio.

Antonio grinned. "Well, since Andres is no longer a threat, I'm getting Jes outta here to get some fresh air and clear our thoughts."

Jay could catch the hint in there. "Let me know where I have to be, and I'll be there."

"I'll text you the address. You should probably clean up, and rest."

Jay had to agree. He was wiped. "Yeah. That's probably a good plan. I don't know if I'll even make it past a couch." He hugged his sister and Antonio. He was halfway out the door when he stopped. "Uh, guys… do the kids know about Laura?"

Antonio shook his head. "No… I…"

Jes took his hand. "He doesn't know how to tell them, and to be honest, neither do I… and I've had to tell students that a classmate had died before… this… this isn't going to be easy."

Jay's chest tightened. "Would it be easier if maybe Voight and I told them?"

Antonio shrugged. "I don't know… I never thought I'd have to tell my children that their mother died… basically trying to protect them."

Jay nodded. "I guess. Look, let us explain it to them… she was our CI."

"Thank you." Antonio whispered.

Jay simply nodded and left. He'd call Voight on the way. He went home showered and went to bed. He set his alarm to wake up in a couple hours. He needed to try and regain a little strength. His phone dinged as a text came in. He groaned and read it.

 _\- I want to ask Jes to marry me tonight. I'd really like you to be there… let me know, I'll send the details. -Antonio_

Jay sighed and replied. _–I'll be there._ He put the phone down and he was out in seconds.

* * *

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* * *

Jay groaned as his alarm sounded two hours later. He forced himself out of the bed and got changed. Antonio had sent the directions to the park. Jay pulled out his gloves and his jacket and headed out. They had decided that they'd tell the kids before hand. This way, it was out of the way and the kids could begin the grieving process. Voight was going to meet him at the hospital. Antonio and Jes wanted a little time with the kids before they had to break that news. Jay couldn't blame them. All the news these kids were going to be getting in the next few days was going to be overwhelming. It didn't help that they were all going to be leaving for about a month's time in a few days. Jay envied them of that. That they could get away from all the insanity that was going on. He was going to take a few days at Christmas to spend up there with them, but he didn't want to overwhelm them either. Antonio's brother and his family were going to be there, as well as his parents and Gaby. Jes had mentioned that she'd invited Jacquie, Kevin and Vinessa up there to, but she wasn't sure if they'd go. Jay sighed. He unlocked his car and started it. He was deep in thought when his cell rang.

"Go for Halstead."

"You coming or what?" Voight asked. "I'm waiting for you to get here."

"Yeah, Sarge, uh be there in 10." He groaned and hung up. He was starting to wish he'd taken a cold shower or at least had put on a pot of coffee. He rolled down the window. The frigid Chicago night would have to be his wake-up.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio had gone to meet his parents and the kids at the elevator. April had come in to help Jes clean up before they took her out.

"Dad!" Eva and Diego ran to him. "Dad!"

"Hey guys." He braced himself as his two kids ploughed into him. "I missed you guys." He hugged them tightly.

"We missed you too." Eva said. She looked up at him. "Why did Diego and Abuelo need to go to the house?"

Diego smirked. "I didn't tell her anything."

"That's probably why she's asking now isn't it?" Antonio ruffled Diego's hair.

"Dad?" Eva dragged out the word. "What did he go get? And… why did we have to bring the guitar?"

"You are asking a bunch of questions, missy."

"Dad, come on!"

Antonio laughed. "Diego, can I have it please?"

Diego nodded and handed him the small velvet box.

"Dad, is that… what I think it is?" Eva pointed to the box.

"What exactly do you think it is?" Antonio asked.

"A ring! Oh my God! You're going to ask her to marry, you aren't you?"

"Very good, Detective Eva." Antonio kissed the top of her head. "Is that okay with you guys?"

"You already live together. Why not?" Eva giggled. "Can we watch?"

"There is a plan. We're going to take her to overlook the skyline on the Lakefront Trail. She needs some fresh air to clear her mind of what happened." Antonio paused. "Once we're there, and she's taken by the sights, well… I bust out the guitar, serenade her and then ask her to marry me."

"Dad, you're a giant mush ball." Diego groaned.

"What's wrong with being romantic?" Antonio asked.

"I think it's a great idea." Eva chimed in. "Can I see the ring?"

Antonio nodded and handed her the box. Eva whistled when she opened it. "Wow, Dad! Just… wow!"

"Think she'll like it?" Antonio took the box back and slipped it into his pocket.

"She's going to flip." Eva grinned.

"Okay then. So, you guys are okay with it?"

"Dad… seriously… we're fine." They hugged their dad tightly before running to their grandparents to explain the plan.

Antonio was surprised to turn around and see his brother and sister-in-law. He went to them. "What… I thought you couldn't be here until Friday?"

Javier hugged him. "We made it work. We heard over the wire that you're planning on asking a certain someone to be Mrs. Dawson?"

"Diego has a big mouth."

"Diego isn't the one who ratted you." Victoria hugged him. "Your mom did."

"Ay yi yi." Antonio laughed. "I give up. Where are the kids?"

"With my sister. We didn't want to overwhelm Jes tonight. She's had enough to deal with." Victoria whispered.

"Do the kids know what happened?" Javier asked.

"Mom says no, but I'm not sure. Jes doesn't want them to know everything."

Javier patted his back. "Whatever it is, they're going to be strong."

"Did Mom tell you about Laura?" Antonio whispered, checking to make sure the kids were out of earshot.

"Vaguely. Didn't get many details."

Antonio pulled Javier aside. "The cartel got her. They killed her and put her body in a ring of tires and torched her."

Javier's jaw dropped. "What the FUCK!?"

"Keep your voice down!" Antonio smacked his arm. "They don't know yet. Voight and Jay are coming to talk to them about."

"Before or after you pop the question?"

Antonio leaned against the wall. "I don't know. If I can't ask her tonight because the kids are too upset, then I'll wait. I want them to be a part of this." Antonio sighed.

"Tonio… what else is eating you, brother?" Javier stared him straight in the eye.

"I can't tell you." Antonio felt lost.

"Tonio, you're my brother… whatever you tell me, it's between the two of us… like the good ol' days."

"Javi…"

"Antonio. Talk to me, please?" Javier could be as pushy as Gaby.

Antonio knew he wasn't going to let up until he said something. "Fine, but you blab, and you ain't going back to New York."

Javier nodded. "Deal. So what's up?"

"Jes is pregnant." Antonio said, excitement and nervousness mingled in his voice.

"But, I thought…"

"We know… It was a misdiagnosis. She's about 4 or 5 weeks along, and despite everything she went through when they kidnapped her… the baby's doing just fine."

"You don't know how to tell the kids." Javier deduced.

"Exactly. Between the proposal, Laura… a new baby." Antonio sighed. "It's a lot to handle. Especially since it's happening all at once."

"Take it one day at a time. Deal with whatever happens as it comes… don't over think anything."

"Thanks Javi." Antonio hugged his brother.

"Gaby knows doesn't she." Javier asked.

"She was there with Jes when she got the news."

"And you were…"

"Dealing with the son-of-a-bitch that beat and raped the mother of my unborn child and future wife." Antonio froze. "Sorry, Javi."

"Hey, don't apologize to me… you're stronger than I am if the bastard was still breathing when I was through with him."

"The only reason Jay and I didn't kill him, is because Jes made us promise we wouldn't."

"Where is he now?" Javi asked quickly, seeing that the others were slowly wandering in their direction.

"I don't know… Voight was the last one with him and well, as far as I know he never got to County."

"He's at the bottom of the Lake and you know it." Javier said. "You okay with that?"

"I am fine with my future wife never having to worry about that monster being over her shoulder."

"Okay. As long as you're fine… hey guys." Javi's thoughts were cut off when everyone else joined them.

"Everything okay?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous." Antonio ran his hand through his hair. "I haven't thought about proposing since I was 21."

"You'll do fine, hijo." His mother hugged him tightly. "We know that you and Jeslyn are destined to be… just take one step at a time."

"Thanks, Mami." He smiled. "Okay… uh, kids let's go see Jes… if the rest of you could meet us at the Lakefront Trail."

"Sí, hijo." His father said. "We'll meet you guys there. Shall we bring the guitar?"

Antonio nodded. "Please do." He turned to Eva and Diego. "Okay, Jes is probably ready and is really looking forward to seeing you guys. She missed you."

"We missed her too." Diego smiled.

Once they were in the elevator, Antonio explained. "Okay, so… when Jes was taken, they beat her and she's got some pretty ugly bruises and she has a broken arm and a couple broken ribs. So, we have to be gentle."

"Sure thing, Dad." Eva said.

"Everything okay?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, buddy. It's just been a really tough week. Once the doc says it's okay, all of us are going to head to Jes' farm up north. We're going to stay there for the next little while… until she and I fully healed."

"Cool." Diego grinned. "I've never been outside the States."

"Of course, you see this as an adventure." Antonio shook his head. "Oh, to be young again."

"You're still young, Dad… just not as young as him." Eva giggled.

The elevator dinged.

"Alright, so we're gentle and don't ruin the surprise for Jes, deal?"

"Deal." They high fived their dad and they headed to Jes' room.

* * *

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* * *

Jay and Voight went up to talk to Jes before the kids got there.

"You sure you want the kids to know about this right away?" Hank asked.

"We don't want to risk them finding out through the news or Facebook." Jes said.

"Fair enough. Do they know…" He asked again.

"About the rape?" Jes asked in return. "No, Antonio said he'd tell them about the kidnapping and the broken bones, but that was it. They don't need more trauma."

"Sounds good." Hank looked her in the eye and asked her. "How are you really doing?"

"I'm a mixture of emotions, Hank." Jes readjusted her sling. "I'm glad it's over and we can start healing, but at the same time… it's still a haunting thought."

Hank knelt in front of her. "No one is going to hurt you or Antonio or the kids… ever again. You have my word."

"Thank you Hank. It means a lot." Jes shook his hand. "Thank you for not letting Antonio or Jay go to the dark side the other day."

"I would never let either of them break their promise to you." Hank looked to Jay.

Jay took the hint. _'Don't tell your sister that Will's been dealt with, and you'll keep your job.'_ He nodded. "Don't worry about anything else, sis. All you need to worry about is getting better." He had to bite his tongue to prevent him from adding "for the sake of the baby" to that thought.

There was a knock at the door. April poked her head in. "Hey Jes, your biggest fans are here."

"You can let them in." Jes smiled. It was about time for them to get back to normal.

"Mom!" They ran to her but stopped short of tackling her. They remembered what their dad had told them. They hugged her gently. "We missed you."

"I missed you guys too." She smiled. "We won't have to be worried about being separated anymore."

"Sounds good." Diego sat on the bed. "Hey Uncle Jay, Sergeant Voight."

"Hey Diego, Eva." Hank greeted them. "I think it's been long enough… you guys can call me Uncle Hank if you want."

"That's a lot easier." Eva laughed. "Hi." She hugged both of them. "What are you guys doing here."

Antonio stood behind Jes. "Uh… Uncle Jay and uh… Uncle Hank…" He coughed. "They need to talk to you about something… and it's going to be hard… to hear." His voice cracked. He couldn't cave. He had his whole future in this room. His past had died with Laura. All that was left of their life together were the kids, and he was going to make sure that they had the best possible future.

"Uh, so guys… you remember that your mom… that trouble at Midway?" Jay started. He realized this was going to be harder than he originally thought.

Diego nodded. "Yeah. Her dumbass boyfriend tried to use her suitcase to smuggle cocaine in and she got caught. You and Uncle Hank gave her a choice of prison or catching the Office. She chose to help you guys."

"That's right." Hank stepped in, seeing that Jay was getting emotional. "Well, Andres… he's the reason that Jes was kidnapped… it was to get back at your Dad in a way… but then he found out that your mom was a CI for us… and…" He paused. He too was finding himself emotional, something that was extremely rare for him. "He went after your mom. I'm so sorry, that we have to tell you this… but Andres murdered your mom…"

The kids' jaws dropped. "Are you serious?"

Hank nodded. "I'm very, very sorry… but she got the information we needed… the whole cartel is down. She… she also left a note for you guys… we read it when we found the evidence she had gathered, but I have it here. You guys can read it, whenever you feel like it… there's no rush. Just know that even though things weren't good between her and your dad, she still loved you guys and she missed you."

Eva took the letter Hank had extended. "Did… did she suffer?"

Jay shook his head. "No. She didn't."

Diego sniffled. He looked to his dad and Jes. "Does this… change anything?"

Antonio went to his children and knelt in front of them. "No. Your mom and I didn't see eye to eye in the end, but what she did… saved a lot of lives. Know that no matter what, we are still family. I will always love you and that your mom loved you until the end."

Eva wrapped his arms tightly around her father's neck. "I said some mean things to her… I never… I never said I'm sorry." She wept.

"She knew you loved her. She knew that you were sorry. Moms always know that stuff." Antonio whispered. "Don't beat yourself up. Okay?"

Eva wiped her tears. She turned to Jes. She saw that her step-mom was crying. She got off the bed and wrapped her arms around her. "Jes, don't be sad… you didn't do this. I still love you and you're my Mom too."

Jes wept. She never thought she'd feel this or hear this. "I love you guys too…"

Diego joined in the hug. Jay, Antonio and Hank stood back and watched.

Jes looked both kids in the eyes. "I can't ever replace your mom, but I can do everything in my power to be the best mom for you guys. I'll always be there to listen, and I know this is going to be a huge adjustment. Your dad and I will be there whenever you need us."

"Thanks, Mom." Diego kissed her cheek. "We're glad you're okay… I think it would be harder if we lost both of our mom's at the same time."

Jes brushed away a tear. "Diego, I'm not going anywhere and I won't ever leave you. You guys are our world." She kissed each of their foreheads. "Forever."

Diego ran over to Antonio. "Dad, aun le vas a proponer matrimonio, no?"

Eva joined them. "Please, Dad…" She leaned in and whispered. "We need some happy news."

"Are you guys sure? I can hold off." Antonio whispered back. "I don't want to make things harder on you."

"Dad… do it… we need it." Eva smiled, wiping her eyes. "Just make sure…" She leaned in really close. "Uncle Jay knows."

Antonio winked. "He does." He stood up and looked to Hank and Jay. "Thank you, for everything."

"Any time." Hank hugged him. "Good luck."

"Jay told you?" Antonio cocked his head to the side.

Hank just smiled. "I'll be around if you need anything." He turned to the kids. "This is going to take time, but you've got an amazing family here and all of us in Intelligence are your family too."

The kids hugged him. "Thanks, Uncle Hank. That means a lot."

Hank nodded and left the room. He was headed to Molly's to wait for the big announcement.

Jay looked to Jes. "You ready to go for that walk?"

Jes nodded. "Kids, you up for a walk?"

They nodded. They wiped their eyes and blew their noses. They gathered their things and put a blanket across Jes' lap. Alec had approved the outing, after much pleading on Antonio's part, but Jes had to be in a wheelchair. It was to prevent more damage from the broken ribs and to help her build up her strength. If she stayed on this path, she'd be out of the hospital in two days time. They'd be able to leave on the nineteenth, leaving them just enough time to get the farm ready for Christmas. Antonio texted Gaby that they were on their way. He double-checked that the ring was in his pocket. He pushed Jes' wheelchair out of the room and they headed to the exit. When they got outside big, fluffy snowflakes were gently falling. There was a little nip in the air, but Antonio knew that this made the night that much more magical.

* * *

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* * *

When they got to the Trail, the beauty of the Chicago skyline in the snow stole Jes' breath away. "Oh, wow!" She gasped. "I forgot how beautiful this was."

Eva had held her hand the whole way. Eva knew that even though her biological mother was gone, she knew she'd have a mom. She had thought about telling her dad that maybe he should wait, but she knew that he had been hurting for so much longer that he deserved to be happy. She liked Jes and she knew that Jes was going to be a great mom to have. She thought about it and realized that all the challenges her family was facing, was just making them stronger. She'd miss her mom, but she also knew that her mom would always be with her. She looked at the scene. It couldn't have been better. She could see the rest of the family, along with Jacquie, Kevin and Vinessa approaching. She waved to them.

Antonio smiled. He could see the pain his children were feeling, but they had insisted they still go through with this. His arm throbbed. He was starting to wish he'd kept the sling on, but he needed both arms to pull this off. He'd take some Advil when they got back to the hospital and he's put the sling back on then.

Diego was conflicted. His biological mother was gone, but yet he had this other woman who was willing to give up everything to be his mom. She's taken a bullet protect his father. He knew it then that Jes was definitely the one. He thought back to the day his dad asked him to go look at rings. He had helped pick out the ring Antonio was going to give Jes. He smiled when he saw the rest of their family coming. He may have lost his mom, but he gained another friend and someone who truly cared for him and his family.

Jay watched sister and future brother-in-law. He thought back to the day that he met Jes. They'd come full circle now. He may not be her main defender anymore, but he knew that no matter what, she was still his little sister and their bond was unique. He was happy he'd backed off on Antonio dating Jes. He'd never seen her so happy in years. Granted, he hadn't know the truth of what had happened six years back, but she was happy again and that was all that mattered.

"I'll be right back." Antonio kissed Jes' cheek.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"You'll see." He whispered.

Jes turned back to the skyline. "What do you guys think?"

"About the beauty of the city at night?" Eva asked.

"Yeah." Jes was in awe.

"I think it's beautiful, but I think that there's something much more beautiful out here tonight." Antonio's voice was like velvet.

Diego and Eva spun her wheelchair around slowly. Jes gasped when she saw Antonio kneeling on a blanket in the snow, his guitar in his arms. "Wha…" She looked up and saw all their family and their close friends.

Antonio smiled. "Baby, I've been thinking about this for such a long time. I couldn't find the words… so I'm going to borrow them from Jason Mraz."

Jes could feel the tears begin to build as Antonio played the opening chords to 'I Won't Give Up.'

* * *

When I look into your eyes

It's like watching the night sky

Or a beautiful sunrise

There's so much they hold

And just like them old stars

I see that you've come so far

To be right where you are

How old is your soul?

I won't give up on us

Even if the skies get rough

I'm giving you all my love

I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space

To do some navigating

I'll be here patiently waiting

To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn

Some even fall to the earth

We've got a lot to learn

God knows we're worth it

No, I won't give up

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily

I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make

Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use

The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake

And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend

For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn

We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in

I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not

And who I am

I won't give up on us

Even if the skies get rough

I'm giving you all my love

I'm still looking up

Still looking up

I won't give up on us (no, I'm not giving up)

God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)

We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)

God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)

I won't give up on us

Even if the skies get rough

I'm giving you all my love

I'm still looking up

* * *

Jes' eyes were tearing up. Her chest hurt with the love and passion she felt for Antonio right at that moment. She had an idea of what was coming, but she just sat there and listened to the one song that encased their love. No matter what was coming, they'd face it… together. She gasped when Antonio handed Diego the guitar and pulled out a small, velvet box.

"Jeslyn Charlotte Marie Bellamy," He started. "The moment I saw you, my world changed. We've been through so much in the short time we've been together. I can't imagine me life without you." He opened the box. "Please, make me the happiest man on Earth and be my wife… the mother of my children."

Jes' hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God!"

Eva and Diego knelt next to their dad. "Be our mom… please?"

Jes nodded. "Yes… yes. A thousand times, yes!"

Antonio got up and pulled the ring out of the box. He slid the two toned gold ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit. Jes examined it closely. The band was white gold and designed like interconnected hearts that formed leaves on either side of the rose gold oval halo. In the centre of the ring was a cushion cut natural purple diamond. There were tiny diamonds that filled between the gaps of the leaves. Antonio bent down and kissed her. "You've made me the happiest man in the world."

Soon the entire park erupted into cheers. Jes' cheeks turned beet red. She'd forgotten they had an audience. "I'm the happiest woman on earth." She kissed him. "Of course, I'll be your mom. Come here."

The family hugged as tightly as they could without hurting Jes or Antonio. There were rounds of well wishes and cheer. Jes looked to Antonio. He knew what she was thinking. He nodded.

"Uh, Antonio and I want to thank you guys for everything. You're all invited up to my farm for Christmas and New Year's. Uh, we have a surprise that we'd like to share with you then, but you have to be there for it."

A round of laughter broke out. Soon, as a family, they walked to the vehicles so they could head to Molly's for a quick congratulatory celebration. Antonio and Jes would tell Eva and Diego about the baby later. Right now, they just wanted to enjoy this happy moment that had been months in the making. They were meant to be together, and now it was going to happen.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, a baby… a marriage proposal and one of the most powerful songs I can think of as my inspiration for their relationship. This is dedicated to my amazing husband, Julio, who supports my dreams and no matter what rough skies are ahead, he's always there for me and I'm always there for him. Let me know what you think! Love Nicole**_

 _ **The video for the song is**_ _ **watch?v=O1-4u9W-bns**_


	20. Never Gonna Be Alone

_**A/N: Okay, so they're engaged, expecting a baby and now have to break the news to two other children and get over everything that's happened to them in the last couple weeks. Should be easy, right? Let's find out! As always, please read and review. Love, Nicole**_

* * *

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* * *

Jes slept peacefully and easily when they brought her back to her room. The festivities, walk and excitement of the evening had tired her out. Alec and April had insisted that it was normal for her to be this tired.

"How so?" Antonio asked.

"She's been through a lot, Antonio." Alec said, pulling him from the room so Eva and Diego wouldn't hear. "Being tased, beaten, raped… it takes a lot of energy out of the body… not to mention the baby." He looked to the kids. "Have you guys told them yet?"

"We wanted to but between them getting the news that their biological mother was murdered, seeing their… their step-mother in the condition she is… it was hard… they insisted that I propose tonight so that they had some happiness today." Antonio sighed. "Alec, all of this is so much."

"Antonio, I wish I could tell you that this will get easier. I can't. After Jules… the kids… it's a lot." Alec grasped Antonio's shoulder. "You have someone great in your life, Antonio… you and Jes… you're getting a fresh start. The kids are going to adjust. They'll never forget Laura and they know that Jes isn't trying to replace her. Kids are strong and resilient. They're probably going to have an easier time adjusting to all this than you."

"What do you mean?"

"Antonio, as much as you and Laura were at each other's throats at the end, and your marriage crumbled, but you spent 20 years with her. Twenty years of your life with someone, it's a lot of time."

"How…"

"Antonio, I'm a doctor… I'm a widower and I'm your friend. You and Laura brought the kids over or had our family over more times than I can count. I saw how you felt for her, but sadly I saw that near the end… after Jules… Laura… she changed."

"Alec… is there something you're trying to tell me here, bro?"

"Laura… I … she starting stepping out on you… before you got shot… the second time. I saw her leaving some hotels… and I just…"

Antonio fought back the urge to punch his friend right there. He pulled Alec into an empty room. "You knew my wife was stepping out on me, and you… you said nothing?"

Alec hung his head. "I'm not proud of what I didn't do… I was still mourning the loss of my wife… the mother of my children… I didn't want to get involved. I just wanted to move on… to give… to give my kids some form of normalcy."

Antonio ran his hand over his face. "I'm… I'm sorry, Alec… I didn't… I don't know anymore."

Alec pulled him into a hug. "Don't be. Antonio… I know that this isn't easy… but you have Jes, Eva and Diego. You have a family… a family that needs you in the here and the now… you can't live in the past… you can't, Antonio. Don't let those ghosts ruin what you have with them… with the new baby."

Antonio sighed. "You're right."

"Mourn your loss, Antonio." Alec said. "Just don't let that pain ruin what you have with Jes… I think Jay and Voight would personally hang you out to dry if you did something to hurt her."

Antonio laughed. "You have no idea… Jay… he walked in on us… before he knew we were seeing each other."

"Oh…oh!" Alec shook his head. "That's… I can't even begin to describe how that could've been. Go be with her and your kids… and congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you." Antonio extended his hand. "Uh, can I take her home tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Alec shook his hand. "She can go home tomorrow afternoon. Just make sure she rests, and you guys find an OB so the pregnancy can be monitored."

"You got it. Thank you!" Antonio turned and returned back to Jes.

Alec sighed and went about his rounds. Life in Chicago was never easy.

* * *

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* * *

"Hey guys." Antonio whispered. "Everything okay?"

"Mom's out like really out." Diego said. "Is she really going to be okay?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, buddy. She's going to be fine. She just needs time to heal. Same as me."

"Is this really over, Dad?" Eva asked.

"Yes, Eva. Uncle Jay got the guy… the others are all taken care of… the man that hurt Jes is dealt with."

"Did you deal with him?" Diego looked up at his father.

"Diego."

"Dad, come on… we're not that little anymore. We know…we know that things with Uncle Hank don't always follow the rules."

"Uncle Jay and I made sure he knew that what he had done was definitely wrong. Uncle Hank and Uncle Al… well… they were the ones that were there when we left."

Eva and Diego knew that it was highly unlikely that that man had left breathing. They weren't going to push Antonio any further. "Got it."

"So, um… I spoke to your Aunt Sofia." Antonio coughed a little. "Um, your mom's memorial service is going to be in a couple days."

Eva threw herself into his good arm. "Dad… I don't… I… I…" She wept.

"Shhh." Antonio rubbed her back. "I know… I know that you miss her. I know that the last few months have been really hard, and that this… nobody ever wanted this. I may not have been with your mom anymore, but it doesn't mean I didn't care."

"I know, Daddy… but it… what are we supposed to say? Do?"

"Eva, I may not be in your mom's family's good books, but they said they really want us there. They know that your mom died doing what she could to keep you safe."

Eva sniffled. "Did you read the note she left us?"

Antonio shook his head. "No. It's not for me. Did you guys read it yet?"

Eva shook her head. "I don't know if I can… what if she said horrible things about Jes… or you… or…"

"Eva… don't… don't think that way. I'm pretty sure your mom wrote something other than that. Trust me." He kissed her forehead. "I won't push you guys about it."

"Thank you, Daddy." She kissed his cheek. "Um, where are we staying tonight?"

"Uh… I hadn't thought about that… I've been staying with Jes. Um… I'm going to see if maybe Tia Gaby or Tio Javier can come get you and you guys can come back tomorrow to take Jes home."

"She's coming home, for real?" Diego asked looking up from Jes' hand. He was holding it; worried that if he let go, she'd slip away.

"Yes. Alec… Dr. Willhite said for sure Jes can come home tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank God." Eva sighed. "Dad… can you read the letter with us? Before we leave?"

Antonio felt tears building. He nodded. "Yeah, baby. I can. Uh, let's let Jes get some rest…" He led them to the quiet room that was next to Jes' room. He signaled to April, who nodded. He knew she'd be there in case Jes woke up. He didn't want her to wake up alone. "Here we go." He closed the door.

The kids sat on the floor next to the old rocking chair that was in the corner. Antonio took the letter from Eva. He slowly opened it and began to read.

" _Eva and Diego… my dearest children."_ He took a deep breath, knowing he'd have to be strong for them. He continued. _"I know that your father and I had a horrible falling out and we, well, I put you guys in the middle. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I haven't been there for you these last few months. If you're reading this, it means that I've been found and I'm no longer alive. There are so many things that I want to tell you. So many things I want to see you do and accomplish. I'm sorry I won't be there to see you graduate; get your degree in whatever you want to follow. I'm sorry I won't be there to see your first love, your first heartbreak… your weddings… your babies. I know that I'm going to be missing so much and I know I've missed so much already. Please know that I never meant to hurt you. Please forgive me. Now, I know that your father has met someone else… and that it's serious. I know that she may not be your blood, but Jeslyn is a great woman. I couldn't ask for anyone better to be taking care of you. Whatever you hear in the coming days, weeks, months or years… know that I only did what I did to keep you safe. I'll miss you both so much. I love you, so much. I always will. I will always be there for you, even if you can't see me. I love you, Eva and Diego. Know that… I loved you before you were born and I'll be waiting to see you again one day. Until then, know I'm always watching over you. Be good to your dad. He's a strong man. I took advantage of that strength. Always listen to him, and to your new mom. They may seem harsh at times, or you may feel like they're not doing what's best for you… but they are."_ Antonio's voice cracked as he saw the last words. The words to the book they read to the kids each and every night from the time they were born until they stopped asking for bedtime stories. _"I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living… my babies you'll be. Love, Mom."_

The letter fell from his hands as he wept. Antonio Dawson had lost everything and gained so much more in the last year than he had in his other thirty-five years.

Eva and Diego openly wept. Antonio slid onto the floor between them and pulled them to him. He hummed a gentle melody. The three of them sat on the floor and cried together. Alec walked by the room and saw. He looked in on Jes. She was still asleep. He sighed. _'They must have read the letter.'_ He thought to himself. He left the floor; he needed to check in on his own children.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

The next morning came. Antonio, Eva and Diego had never left. April had gotten a couple extra blankets and pillows. The kids slept in the staff room. Normally, Sharon Goodwin wouldn't allow it, but she knew what the entire family had been through. She arranged for everything to be taken care of. She herself spent part of the night keeping an eye on the Dawson children. She arranged to have breakfast for all for of them to be brought to Jes' room while she and Alec worked on the paperwork to discharge Jes.

"Mom?" Eva asked.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Jes asked after finishing her breakfast.

"Will you be coming with us to… to… the memorial?" Eva's voice wavered as she tried not to cry.

"I don't know if that's a really good idea, sweetie." Jes said, taking her hand. "I didn't know her and…"

"Think about it." Antonio whispered. "We won't force you, but the kids may have a little easier time if you're there."

"I'll think about it." Jes nodded. "Diego… is everything okay?"

"I was just wondering something."

"Shoot." Jes smiled. "I can answer to the best of my abilities."

"Um… well you're going to marry Dad."

"Yes, Diego. I am."

"And then you'll be our official step-mom."

Jes nodded. Neither Antonio nor she knew where Diego was going with this.

"Will you and Dad have other kids?" He finally asked.

Jes' jaw dropped and Antonio stared at him. "Uh, buddy… where's this coming from?"

"Just remembering some of my other friends… whose parents got remarried."

"Diego… are you scared that if your dad and I have another child… that you wouldn't matter anymore?" Jes asked softly.

Diego nodded. "Yeah… uh… some of my friends… when their parents remarried and they had other kids… my friends kinda didn't matter as much anymore."

Jes had known all of this already. Antonio had mentioned it when they first found out they were going to be parents. "Sweetheart… look at me." She tilted his chin up. "Diego, your dad and I will never, ever do that. You are important to both of us… even if we did have kids together… you'd be their big brother and big sister. You are family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

"Did you just quote 'Lilo and Stitch'?" Eva asked.

Jes laughed. "I guess I did. I love you guys. I may not be your biological mom, but that doesn't matter. A mom is someone who cares about you, and listens when you someone to talk to and is always there no matter what. You're never going to be alone or forgotten. Ever."

Diego hugged her. "Thanks."

"Would you guys be okay if we did have another baby or two?" Antonio asked carefully.

Eva nodded. "It would be kinda cool to have another little brother or sister."

"I could have someone to do science with." Diego pitched in.

"Or I could have someone to do girly stuff with." Eva smiled.

"What about me?" Jes asked. "We can't do science or girly stuff?"

"Yeah, Mom, but it's not the same as teaching it to someone else. It's why we like hanging out with some of the younger kids at P2K. It's because we can teach them things."

Antonio looked to Jes. She nodded. Maybe now was the time. "Hey, guys… um… let's all sit and we should probably have a little chat."

Eva grabbed the chair and Antonio sat on the foot of Jes' bed. "Jes and I found out some things the last couple days. Turns out this whole thing revealed a lot more than we could've ever imagined." Antonio took Jes' hand. "You see… about six years ago or so… Jes was told she could never have kids of her own."

Eva gasped.

Antonio continued. "When Dr. Willhite was examining her after we found her… he found something out."

Jes took over. "I… well… you guys are going to have a little brother or sister a little soon than we would've thought."

Diego looked between Jes and his dad. "You're pregnant?"

Jes nodded. "It's very much a surprise… we definitely didn't plan this. We wanted to tell you last night… but with everything that happened…"

"That's so cool!" Eva exclaimed. "Wait… is the baby okay? Did they hurt it when they attacked you?"

"The baby is fine… actually here." Antonio pulled out his wallet and took out a copy of the ultrasound still. "This is your baby brother or sister."

Diego took the still from his dad's hand. He was in shock. "So… we're really going to be having a new baby?"

"Yeah, buddy. But like Jes said… you guys will always be on the same page. There won't be preferential treatment. We will love you and the baby the same, because you are all going to be our children." Antonio hoped that they would take this well.

"Wow!" Diego handed the picture to his sister. "Uh… when is he… or she going to be here?"

"Nine months, give or take… we're just just pregnant." Jes said. "Um, but the thing is… you guys can't tell anyone yet. The uh next couple months… they're hard because it's during that time that if something's going to go wrong… it will."

"So we can't tell anyone?" Eva handed Antonio back the ultrasound still.

"Just for now. We're going to tell everyone New Year's Eve." Antonio smiled. "Are you guys going to be okay with that?"

Eva nodded. "Yeah. It's a lot… but we're family. Family always sticks together, no matter what."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes was discharged around 4 o'clock that afternoon. There were many well wishes and a shrewd of balloons and flowers. April had given her another stuffed animal, this time a purple elephant. She had attached a note saying it was for the baby. Jes took the note and hid it in her pocket. Jay, the kids, Jacquie, Gaby and Antonio had all come to bring her home. Alec and April brought her down to the exit where her family was waiting for her.

"You guys really didn't all have to come to bring me home." Jes said.

"We wouldn't have it any other way." Jacquie smiled. "Plus, we're the only ones who know the whole story."

Eva looked to Jacquie. "You know about the baby?"

"Yep. Everyone here knows, and we're the only ones." Jes smiled.

"Well… actually there's one more." Antonio gritted his teeth.

All heads snapped around to face him. "What do you mean?" Jes asked one eyebrow arched.

"Javi cornered me… before we went upstairs… I told him."

"Antonio!" Gaby screeched. "He's going to tell his wife… our mother… oh God. Why!?"

Jes stifled her laughter. Antonio and Gaby turned to her. "What's so funny?"

"I'm the one who should be mad and I'm not… not really." She snickered. "Though, if he blabs, well… we'll bury him in a field somewhere." It was then that she noticed that Antonio wasn't wearing his sling. "Uh, did you get clearance to drive?"

Alec laughed from behind her. "As long as he doesn't do any heavy lifting, he's okay to drive. Just don't expect him to carry you over the threshold just yet."

"We're not married yet, Doc." Antonio reminded him.

"I know. Good luck you guys!" Alec said. He stopped before turning around. "Hey, Antonio… would it be okay if I asked Eva to come watch Emmy and Liam from time to time… they ask about Eva and Diego from time to time."

Antonio turned to Eva. "What do you think?"

"I'd like that." Eva smiled. "I'd really like that."

Antonio helped Jes out of the wheelchair and into the truck. He took the pillow that April had been holding, putting it as a cushion between the seatbelt and Jes' ribs. The kids took all Jes' flowers and gifts and put them between themselves in the back of the truck. Antonio climbed in the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking lot. Jay drove Jacquie and Gaby to Antonio's. Luckily, Gaby had worked with a group from Firehouse 51 to fix up the damage to Antonio and Jes' home. Antonio had also given Matt free reign to fix up the basement so that Jes would feel comfortable again. It was going to be a long road for Jes to recover, but Antonio was willing to take the time so that she would be able to live for the future and not be haunted by the past.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

They arrived in short time. There was a huge banner across the porch that read: "Welcome Home Jeslyn!" The entire Intelligence team was on the front lawn with the rest of Antonio's family and a few members of Firehouse 51.

"What's everyone doing here?" Jes asked.

"Well, it turns out… you're an even bigger hero now." Antonio whispered. "The front lawn was turned into a shrine to you."

"What do you mean?" Jes didn't see a shrine anywhere.

"We had it moved to P2K. We also made it known that we want nothing to do with the press and that you just want to return to normal." Antonio took her hand. "Even the Mayor has issued that our family is off-limits for questioning, interviews or being pestered."

"I didn't do anything though." Jes looked back out to their home.

"Jes, you survived… and you are very important to Chicago… not just us… the whole city."

"Next thing you know they're going to want me to run for mayor." Jes laughed.

"Would you?" Antonio asked in all seriousness.

"Fuck no!. I hate politics."

"Baby… what's really bugging you?" He asked.

"I just… I… I don't know if I can go in there." She was shaking.

"Mom…" Diego said from the back. "Dad… dad asked for Uncle Matt and Uncle Jay and some others to fix it… so it wouldn't remind you of the bad stuff."

Jes looked between Diego and Antonio. "You did that… already?"

"Yeah. They've been working non-stop since we found you. Everything is to what you would want."

"How do you know how I want my dream house?" She asked.

Antonio smiled. "Because Jacquie told me. She mentioned how you'd always wanted a specific layout… so I asked Matt to do the repairs. There's a little more that needs to be done, but you know what… we're going to be gone for a month or so and that'll give him the time to finish up. Now, milady… I think we should go inside before we waste an entire tank of gas just idling here."

"Agreed!" Eva shouted from the back seat. She bolted from the truck, arms loaded with Jes' treasures.

Diego was soon behind her. Antonio killed the engine and got out. He went around and opened her door. She handed him the pillow and he helped her out of the truck using his good arm. Once she was on the ground, Antonio helped stabilize her and gave her his arm. She slipped hers through it and together they walked to the crowd of friends and family that were waiting for them.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"So, when are you guys all heading out?" Matt asked.

Antonio shrugged. "If I had my way, we'd be gone already… but Alec said she needs to be here a couple more days then we can leave. I booked our flight for the 19. We leave on the red eye… a quick layover in Toronto and then we'll be there in about 3 hours from there."

"How long you gonna be gone for?" Matt took a sip of his beer.

"I'm on leave for a month… minimum… Voight said to take whatever time I needed with Jes to recover." Antonio took a sip of his beer. "We'll be back in the New Year. In time for things to settle down, and Jes can go back to P2K."

Gaby joined them. "She's going back?"

Antonio nodded. "She doesn't want to abandon them. She wants normal again."

Gaby looked to her future sister who was chatting with Jacquie while teaching Vinessa how to braid Eva's hair in a true French braid. "Is she going to be able to achieve that?"

Antonio glared at his sister. "If anyone can do it, it's Jes. She's got more strength and faith than any person I've ever met. She needs time, yes, but it doesn't matter how long it takes. She'll get back to her regular life and she'll be stronger than ever."

"I don't doubt it… just…"

"Gaby. Drop it." Matt intervened. "I think Antonio and Jes know what's best for them and their family."

"Thanks Matt. Now, I have to go and make sure she's taken the meds that Alec prescribed." Antonio went to check on Jes.

"Gaby, what the hell was that about?" Matt asked as he opened a beer.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me, Gaby. We were going to get married. You used to tell me everything… I… I still love you, and one day… if we can work through all this… I want us to go back to that." Matt took a sip. "What's really going on? Why don't you want Jes to go back to P2K… especially after all the hard work she's put into it?"

Gaby pulled Matt into the basement. She didn't want anyone else to hear. When she knew they were alone, she said. "Do you know what all happened to her?"

"Other than what I saw when we came in here to help get her out?"

"Yeah."

Matt sighed. "I know she was raped… Jay told us when he came to tell us she was okay. I also know they beat her and she's got a long road to recovery."

"She's pregnant, Matt!" Gaby snapped. She quickly covered her mouth after realizing what she had just said.

"What?" Matt wasn't sure he'd heard her right.

Gaby slid down the wall. "Jes is pregnant. She… she was told she'd never be able to have kids almost seven years ago… then they found out after this shit storm that she's actually pregnant."

"Uh… why couldn't she have kids?"

Gaby looked to Matt. "This can't leave here… Antonio will kill me… Jay too… probably."

"My lips are sealed, Gabriela." When Gaby heard him use her full name, she knew he meant it.

"She's been through this hell before. When she was 19… almost seven years ago now, I guess… she was raped by her then-boyfriend… he got her pregnant… and tried to kill her… he almost succeeded… Jacquie, Jes and Jacquie's sister were in the car when it flew off a cliff because the bastard had nicked the break line. Jes was six-months pregnant… you've seen enough car crashes to know what happens. She lost the baby… and was told then that the damage to her pelvis was too traumatic to allow for future pregnancies."

"Wow." Matt gasped. "And she's still pushing forward after all that?" Gaby nodded. Matt extended his hand to her and helped her off the floor. "Gaby, I don't think you have to worry about your brother or your sister-in-law. If she survived all that and has come this far, she's going to get through this. This time she's not alone. She's got an amazing family unit here, she has her friends and she has your brother. If I know anything about Antonio… it's that nothing stops him from keeping his family happy, healthy and safe."

"You're right." She hugged him. "I just… I don't want them to overdo anything… if she were…"

"So don't think that way, Gaby. Think happy thoughts. Help her plan the wedding. Help her with the kids. Don't sell her short. She's obviously a lot stronger than most people think."

"Hey, you two lovebirds down there?!" Otis shouted from the top of the stairs. "Antonio and Jes have an announcement to make."

"Is she far along enough to be telling everyone?" Matt whispered.

"No. 'Tonio and Jes agreed to wait until New Year's to say anything. That… that's the reason a lot of us were invited up there."

"Ah." Matt smiled. "Well, let's go see what this is all about then. Ladies first."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"So Antonio and I want to thank you for everything you've all done for us in the last few weeks." Jes smiled. "There's no way to thank you enough for what you've done. Jacquie, thank you for taking in my fur baby until you come out for New Year's Eve. I really appreciate it!" Helping fix the house, which by the way… it's exactly how I've always wanted my house to look. I understand that there's still going to be work done while we're away on medical leave. I will find a way to make it up to you…"

"Keep the kids off the street with P2K, and we're even!" Chief Boden called from the back of the room.

"You've got it, Chief." Jes laughed. "I will be going back to P2K. I just need… a little time… uh… in case you guys weren't at Molly's last night… Antonio asked me to marry him… and I … I said 'yes'." She raised her left hand, the ring sparkled in the mid-afternoon sun.

The whole house erupted in cheers and well wishes. Antonio swore the walls were shaking. Demands were made to see the ring or to hear how he'd asked. "One at a time!" Antonio bellowed. "You can all get the juicy details after we're done our little speech here. Jes and I will be taking the kids back to her family farm in Alberta from the 19th to about early February. Doctors' orders for healing. We'll be spending Christmas up there with both our families, and as some of you already know… there is an invitation for some of you to come up for New Year's Eve where we can celebrate a whole new start to our lives. Jacquie has graciously offered to keep watch over our home here, as well as keep P2K up and running… and I think I heard some of you mentioned extra help out for her, which is greatly appreciated. I personally want to thank Intelligence and Squad 3 for bring Jes out of here safely… I owe you guys… big time!" He lifted his beer. "A toast… to old friends and new… to family… love… strength… faith… hope and the future and all it brings!"

"Here! Here!" There was a loud clinking as glasses and bottles toasted.

Jacquie stood up next. "I also have a toast… to the newly engaged… may your lives be filled with love, peace and happiness... and a ton of joy. You guys deserve it! To the happy couple!"

There was another round of cheers and toasts. As the noise died down, Jes cleared her throat. "Thank you guys. Um, I know that this has been a lot… for everyone… and I just want to… to thank all you… for your support… your love… and your undying devotion to family… whether it's by blood or by choice. We are all one family."

Soon, Contanza and Emanuel broke out the food that they'd been preparing since the wee hours of the morning. It was traditional Dominican fare along with some old time classics like burgers and salads. Everyone spread out and enjoyed themselves. Many of them women flocked to see Jes' unique ring, or to hear how he had proposed. The men just left them are, and talked in corners about the latest Blackhawks' game or the latest MMA fight. The kids ran around the backyard and were laughing. Even Eva and Diego found themselves laughing and running around. Their mother's memorial was the next day, and then they'd be heading out for a trip to bond with their family. While this was all a huge adjustment, they knew they'd never be alone. Whether it was their family that was always going to be there or their mother's spirit, they'd never be alone or without love.

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

After the last guest left, Jes was exhausted. Antonio propped up some pillows on the couch and then helped her lie across it. "Better?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. I forgot how tiring it is to make a mini human being."

"Very funny." He smirked. "Lift up your feet, I'll give you a foot rub."

"Sweetie, you don't have to. You did all the dishes, cleaned up the mess our friends and family left and you dealt with getting my crazy cat to Jacquie for her to watch her while we're away… at least until she comes up and she'll brings her."

"Minion isn't that bad." Antonio whispered as he lifted her feet and sat on the couch.

"Says that gash on your arm." She turned and called. "Eva, could you bring me the First Aid Kit. Please!"

"Coming Mom!"

"Jes, seriously… it's not that bad… compared to bullet wounds."

Jes glared at him. "That's not even relatively funny after the last couple weeks."

Eva came in with the kit and handed Jes a damp cloth. "Dad has a twisted sense of hunour."

"I'm learning this, hunni." Jes smiled. "Thank you for what you guys did today. I really made coming home that much easier."

Eva gently hugged her. "We wouldn't have it any other way." She looked to Antonio. "You really should listen to her a little more. She knows a lot about this mom thing."

"I know, Eva. I know. I have the best family ever. Come here." He hugged his daughter tightly. "You and Diego should get ready for bed. We have a long day tomorrow."

Eva looked to Jes. "Will you come?"

"I'll see how I feel in the morning, sweetheart." Jes squeezed her hand. "One day at a time."

"Okay. Night!" Eva headed to her room. "Diego, Mom and Dad said it's time for bed."

Diego popped out of his room and came to hug them. "Good night. Love you."

"Love you too, buddy." Antonio hugged him.

"Sleep tight, Diego." Jes kissed his cheek. "We'll see you in the morning."

Diego headed off to his room.

"Jes, you don't have to come tomorrow. I know… it's not really conventional."

"I know, but the kids…" Jes sighed. "Oh! Right there!"

Antonio massaged her heel a little harder. "Just… don't make a decision until tomorrow morning."

"Did Laura's sister say anything about you going?"

"She said that while she wasn't happy that Laura and I ended it the way we did, I had been a part of more than half of her life… she said I should be there."

"Does Laura's family know you've… moved on…?"

"They do… doesn't help that well… you've been in the news a lot… and I've been with you."

"Ah. Would it be trashy for me to join you and the kids at your ex's memorial service?"

"I don't know anymore." Antonio switched feet. "It's really up to you, but I think the kids really want you there. You've been their rock."

Jes moaned as Antonio worked out a knot in her ankle. "Have you actually spent the night here since all this happened?"

Antonio shook his head. "No. I never left your side."

"Is our bedroom at least safe?"

Antonio reached over and squeezed her hand. "Babe, as far as I know they didn't go there, but if it seems off, we can move to the guest room until I get it changed."

Jes nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."

Antonio carefully got off the couch and helped Jes up. "Let's get some sleep. Whether or not you come tomorrow, it's going to be a long day." When they got to their bedroom, he slowly opened the bedroom door. "It looks the same as we left it."

Jes took a careful step in. Antonio was right. It was the same. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Can you help me change?"

"I thought you always slept in the nude at home?"

"That was before I gained a family… and I'm not really a fan of showing off the bruises those monsters left me with."

"Baby, they'll heal. I'm… I'm sorry." Antonio closed the door. "I wasn't…"

"Antonio, it's fine… I just need… time."

"I know." He knelt in front of her. "I'll wait. Uh… which pjs do you want?"

"Just grab one of the nightshirts from the top drawer." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Antonio."

He turned from the drawer. "For what, Jes?"

"All of this."

He went back to the bed and sat next to her. "Jeslyn, stop. Please. This isn't on you. None of it. We're going to be out of Chicago in a couple days and we can put this behind us. I'm here… to listen, to be a shoulder to cry on… to punch… whatever you need."

"Why would I punch you?"

Antonio leaned in. "Because anger is part of recovery."

"I couldn't hit you, Antonio."

"I'd rather have you hit me than you beating yourself up."

"Okay." Jes nodded. "Now, a nightshirt… as you've said tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Antonio grabbed the top shirt from the drawer and as he pulled it, an envelope fell from it. He picked up the envelope. "Uh, what's this?"

"I don't know." Jes cocked her head to the side. "What's the envelope say?"

"It's blank."

"Hmm. Well, give it here." She reached for it.

"I think I should make sure it's not going to blow us up…"

"Antonio, seriously?"

He nodded. He carefully checked the envelope before handing it over.

Jes looked over the envelope. She didn't recognize the stationary. She opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Her eyes grew as she read the words.

' _Jeslyn,_

 _I know that this letter is probably going to be a shock for you to read. Especially because if you're reading it, I'm dead and I've just done horrible things to you. Things that I didn't want to do. I'm sorry. I know these may seem like empty words, but know that I never wanted to do it. I had to go along with him. He knew there was a rat, and I was trying to stay alive long enough to get Jay and Voight the information they needed to bring them down. I can only pray that I achieved that. I never meant for any of what you've been through to happen. Please, forgive me._

 _I know I was angry that Antonio had moved on, and that he loved you in a way that I envied. I took advantage of him. Love him. He is a great man. I've heard the great things you've done and I know you'll do even greater things for Eva and Diego. They adore you. I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I am. You have something with them that I threw away. Please, love them… show them that it's okay to stumble and fall. You're strong. I know that… despite everything you've been through, you will be the best role model for them. Be the mother they need. Be there for them. Be there for Antonio… whether or not he knows this, he's going to need some support. He'll blame himself. Please remind him that it's not his fault. I brought this on myself. I couldn't ask for someone better to love my children, or Antonio. Be their rock, you are a much stronger woman than I ever could've been. If I can make one request, please don't let my children forget my love for them._

 _I wish you nothing but love and peace. Forgive me and don't let Eva, Diego or Antonio blame themselves. Don't blame yourself either. This isn't on you. I could never blame the woman I'm trusting with my children. I'm sorry._

 _Laura.'_

Jes gasped as the letter slipped from her hand. "Oh my God."

Antonio picked up the letter. "Babe, what is it?"

"Laura."

"What?!" Antonio read the letter. "Oh God. Baby… baby, please don't cry."

"But… Antonio…" Jes began to hyperventilate. "She… she…" She broke down and wept. "It is my fault."

"No… Jes… no." Antonio pulled her into his arms. "This isn't anyone's fault by the Office. This isn't even on her. You can't…"

"Antonio… I thought… she's… she asked me to take care of the kids… to be their mom…" Her breath was catching.

"Jes, you can't… stop… please, baby… I don't want to have to take you back to Med." He pleaded. "This is too much… I think you should stay home tomorrow…"

"No!" Jes exclaimed.

"Jes… you can't risk a trip back to the hospital."

"I… I can't deny her request."

"Jeslyn, baby." He caressed her cheek. "I love you… I do, but I don't want you to get upset like this. It isn't your fault."

"I know… I know… but the kids… they… we all need each other. Antonio, please… if they ask me to leave then I'll leave, but I want to be there for the kids… and for you."

"Jes…"

"Laura was right… you do blame yourself." Jes took his face in her hands. "I see it. I know that 20 years together isn't going to just disappear… no matter what happened between you two. I see that. I can't replace her… not just for the kids, but for you."

"Jes… don't… please, baby."

"Antonio, I'm not trying to say that I want to leave or that I don't love you." She wiped a tear away from her eye. "I know that you had a life before me, and that even though I know you love me… I know that you loved her first."

Antonio was speechless. He just hugged her tightly. "Jeslyn, promise me… promise me that if you get to upset or that if… that you'll talk to me. About anything. Our deal still holds. No secrets. Nothing hidden between us."

"I know. I promise." Jes kissed him. Something she had wanted to do for hours. "I love you, Antonio Dawson. I love you."

"Jes… nothing will stop me from loving you. You are my everything now and forever. I promise you that my heart belongs only to you."

Jes nodded and kissed him again. "We really need to get some sleep."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio and Jes were up earlier than planned, but it worked out because Jes needed his help to shower and get dressed. She put on a modest black lace dress and black flats. Antonio dressed in his all black suit with black shirt and black tie. Jes was looking at her engagement ring when Antonio came back in the bedroom.

"What's got you so deep in thought?" He asked.

"I'll sound crazy."

"I think I can handle that. What's going on?" He pulled on his socks and began to put on his shoes.

"I don't know if I should be wearing this today."

Antonio stopped tying his shoe. "Why not?"

"Because we're going to your ex-wife's memorial… it might be tacky."

He sighed. "You are overthinking things. I love you, but baby… you gotta stop doing that."

"So, they're not going to make a scene?"

"If they do, they're going to cause more issues than you being there." He stood up. "I love you, and Laura and I were divorced before she died… they shouldn't be surprised if I've moved on."

"You're right." She sighed. "Can you help me get this sling on? I'll be happy when I can be rid of this thing."

He grabbed the sling and gently slid her arm into it. "How is it that you can make a sling attractive?" He laughed softly.

"I don't know… must be my superpower." She kissed his cheek. "Let's go check on the kids."

Eva and Diego were already in the kitchen when Jes and Antonio got there.

"Hey, guys. Did you sleep okay?" Antonio asked.

Eva nodded. "As good as I could… I couldn't stop thinking about… well…"

"It's fine, Eva." Jes gave her a side hug. "If you want… you can go back to calling me Jes… if it's easier."

"No… it's not that… it's just… we had a mom… got a new mom… and well…"

Jes turned to Antonio. 'Help.' She mouthed.

"Maybe for today, you guys should just call her Jes. She's feeling good enough to come, and she knows that it's going to be hard, but…"

"I'm here for you. No matter what." Jes finished. They had both agreed that the kids weren't going to know about the letter that Laura had left for Jes.

"Thank you." Eva said. She finished her toast and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

Diego sat silently. Jes and Antonio made themselves a light breakfast and when they were done, they headed out for the memorial service.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

The memorial service wasn't long. There wasn't an internment as her ashes were going to be spread at a later time. Jes stayed next to Antonio and didn't say anything unless spoken too. She didn't want to ruffle any feathers. They stood behind Eva and Diego the entire time. They accepted condolences and made small talk. Jes felt their pain. She'd lived through it twice. As people began to leave, Laura's sister, Sofia, came over to them.

She hugged the kids and even hugged Antonio. She turned to Jes. "You must be Jeslyn."

"Yes." Jeslyn whispered.

Sofia hugged her. "Thank you for coming."

"Uh…" Jes was at a loss for words. She couldn't tell if Sofia was being sincere or not, but she wasn't going to start a scene.

Sofia smiled slightly. "Laura… uh she left a letter for us… saying that we shouldn't be angry with you or hold any grudges… she's… she was right." She brushed Eva's hair behind her ear. "The kids need you."

"Uh… thank you." Jes managed to say.

"Antonio." Sofia turned to him. "Is there anything we can do to help… with the kids…or anything?"

"Uh, no Sofia… thanks… uh, we're going to be heading out of Chicago for a while so Jes and I can recover… give the kids a chance to heal away from the ghosts that are still here."

"Oh. I see." Sofia sounded disappointed. "How long will you be gone?"

"A month, maybe longer. I've got medical leave… I'm going to take it to take care of my family." Antonio could see how her face changed when he said 'my family'. "Is there a problem, Sofia?" He whispered.

Jes could see tensions rising. "Uh, Eva, Diego… let's go grab some food… we'll leave your dad to talk with your aunt."

"Good idea." Sofia said, as genuine as obvious as the fake and bake tone of her skin.

Antonio glared at her as his children left with Jes. "What's your problem, Sofia?"

"You think that because Laura could forgive you and let you move on, that I will?"

Antonio walked towards the coatroom of the rec center. "I'm not doing this in front of everyone here… just so you can make a point."

Sofia stalked after him. "You can't take those kids away." She slammed the door closed behind her.

"And… why the hell not?! They're my kids."

"They are my sister's children too!"

"Look, Sofia… I know that your family never approved of me being with Laura… I heard it enough since we were juniors in high school. I know how much you all pushed her to leave and to take the kids… see I got a letter too… one that said to do what's best for our children. To let them grow up without having battles and arguments being their only memory of their childhood." He huffed. "You do know that before all this shit went down, that our divorce had been finalized… that she'd lost custody."

"Only because your boss had a hand in it."

"He went to the judge… he didn't do anything else… especially not since there was enough evidence to declare abandonment… but I'm not going to stand here and let you disrespect the memory of a good woman. A woman I loved, and spent a good part of my life with… the woman who gave me two beautiful children who need to be allowed to keep the good memories of their mother… not the fights… not the things they're going to be hearing about her in the coming days… they don't need to hear you or anyone else bash me or Jes… it's not going to happen."

"Oh, trust me… this isn't over, Antonio… I saw that ring… I know you plan on marrying her."

"Good for you. The whole city probably knows by now."

"Her being the mayor's new pet and celebrity isn't going to make this any less of a betrayal." Sofia's voice was toxic with spite.

"Sofia… don't forget… I'm the one left picking up the pieces… I'm the one who has to hold my family together."

"Well, your only family is going to be her because I plan on petitioning the courts for custody of those children."

"Ha! That's a good one… see… you can't. No judge will hear it. Plus, the paperwork is in order and is being rushed to have Jes adopt them."

"You can't do that." Sofia gasped. "You can't cut them off from us."

"Your parents are gone… God rest their souls and thank God that they don't have to see what's become of their children. I can do what I deem necessary for my children's lives and safety. They need us… not you… not your poison and lies… has CPD come to talk to you yet? Since you introduced Laura to the son-of-a-bitch that killed her!?"

Sofia stumbled back. "What? How?"

"I told you… Laura left me a letter too… in it was her wish that Jes adopt the kids… that they know a normal life… as well as some very useful information for the CPD's investigation into the Office. Try to come after my kids… my fiancée… me… well it'll never happen. Now… I'm going to go say my good-byes to your husband and kids… the ones who don't know about that secret life of yours and I'm taking MY family home. Don't ever try to contact us again." He stomped off. He stopped as he saw Adam and Kevin walk in. "Well, if you're looking for Sofia… she's in there." He pointed to the coatroom. He went off and led the kids and Jes out the back exit so to not cause a scene. He hadn't wanted it to happen this way but he wasn't going to let Sofia try to poison his family with her lies. He hadn't told Jes about the letter he had found in his suit pocket that morning. He finally also got an explanation about the letters. He'd show her when they were home and the kids were preoccupied. Jacquie was coming over with Vinessa to help pack. Every loose end had been dealt with. Now they could finally begin the healing process.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio handed Jes the letter. They were sitting in the newly designed kitchen. Jacquie had gone with the kids to go buy new suitcases since their old ones were falling apart. "I found this in my suit this morning."

"What is it?"

"A letter… like the one Laura left you… the kids… her sister… I got one too."

"What… what did she say?" Jes looked at the folded paper in her hand.

"You can read it, baby. No secrets, remember?"

"I think… I'd rather you summarize it for me… I'm tired… I know that Sofia was trying to make you out to be the villain today."

"Yeah." Antonio sighed. "I don't think I can summarize it… I'll read it. If it gets to be too much… I'll stop."

"Deal." Jes nodded, getting more comfortable on the barstool that was in front of the island.

' _Antonio,_

 _I don't know where to start. See, this is the last letter I'm writing. I've written one for my sister, one to the kids and even one for Jeslyn. If you all got them, it means I'm gone. Andres is suspicious… I don't have a lot of time left. Each of you is getting a letter because I can't say good-bye otherwise… or even explain my actions. I know that Jeslyn will have been hurt and worse. I know that I will have played a role in it. I know that neither of you will probably be able to forgive me for my part in it, but I had to play along long enough to get Voight the evidence he needs._

 _I threw away something so good and pure from our time together. I don't know where it went wrong, but I know it wasn't your fault. I changed. I hurt you in the worst possible way and I can only hope that someday you can find it possible to forgive me. I know that Eva and Diego will be okay. They have an amazing man as their father. A hero whose strength is incomparable. I'm sorry I took advantage of that strength. I'm so sorry, Antonio. I never meant to hurt you._

 _Please have Jeslyn know that I couldn't ask for a better woman to be there for Eva and Diego since I can't be there. She's wonderful, and I can't believe that I will have to do what I will. Please make sure the kids will always remember me and the good times we all had as a family. I don't want their childhood memories to be of us fighting or the horrors they're going to hear about me in the news after this is all over. I know Jeslyn will be a great mother. My last request from you… if Jeslyn is okay with it, please have her legally adopt the kids. This way you're a family in every sense of the word. No one can tear you apart. Don't let anyone, and I mean anyone, come between your new family, Antonio. I wish you and Jeslyn a happy life together and many memories as a family. I will cherish our memories… always._

 _Laura._

 _PS… if Sofia tries something… remind her that she's the one who introduced me to Andres.'_

Jes' jaw dropped. She was in shock. She was in disbelief of what she'd just heard.

"Baby?"

"She wanted me to adopt the kids?"

Antonio nodded. "I called Steve Kot… the ASA we work with on a bunch of cases… he put the file and paperwork together… he's going to be bringing it over for you to sign tonight… if you want to."

"Oh, Antonio." Tears began to fall. "Of course… I just…"

"It's going to be okay."

"Her own sister?" She wiped the tears.

Antonio nodded and handed her a Kleenex. "It's done. I dealt with it already."

"She tried to do something at the service, didn't she?"

He nodded again. "She told me she was going to take our kids away."

Jes' jaw dropped. "Oh, hell no!"

Antonio couldn't help but laugh a little. "Yeah. Well, it's done. Now, we need to pack and get some sleep. Our flight leaves in…" He checked his watch. "About seven hours."

"Mmm." Jes sighed. "A plane ride with busted ribs and a cast… this is going to be interesting."

"Hey, baby… we're going to be okay." He wrapped his arms around her. "All of us."

"Oh, I know that…" She grinned. "I just hope that I can actually sleep on this flight."

"You're not a fan of flying?"

"Oh no! I love flying… just my flight back to Chicago was less than pleasant. I didn't get a window and I counted 8 screaming infants and toddlers the whole way."

"Oh." Antonio put the letter back in his pocket. He held her tightly. "Well, you can have the window seat, and I bought us all new earplugs. We'll be fine."

"I listen to music when I fly." She kissed him. "I even have a 'Flight Music' playlist."

"Seriously?"

"What? Music is good for the soul."

"I can't argue there." He kissed her. "Let's get packing and we'll figure the rest out after."

They heard the front door open. "Mom? Dad?"

"Notice, how they always ask for you first." He whispered.

"That could change." Jes kissed his cheek. "Let's go check out what they got."

* * *

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* * *

After suitcases were assigned to the right person, they all packed their bags. Jes told them not to pack too much because she was going to get some new clothes for everyone when they were there. "Just make sure you've got a good coat, toque and gloves."

"Again… it's a hat." Antonio protested.

"It's a toque." Jes smirked. "I haven't gotten anyone gifts yet… so part of my gift will be some new clothes. Especially since you two are growing like weeds." She smiled to the kids. "Okay, so everything's ready to go… we should get some rest before the flight."

"I agree."

The doorbell rang.

"Dad? Who's that?" Diego asked.

"Good question, buddy." Antonio got up off Diego's bed. "I'll go look."

Jes helped Eva pack up the jewelry she wanted to bring with her and her cosmetics. "Everything okay sweetheart?"

Eva nodded. "I'm just tired."

"I know. You'll get some sleep now and then you can sleep while we're on the plane too."

"Thanks, Mom." She hugged her.

"Hey! Guys, could you meet me in the family room?" Antonio's voice came down the hall.

"I think that's my cue to leave." Jacquie got up and hugged everyone. "Have a safe flight. Call me when you land."

"Definitely." Jes hugged her friend tightly. "We'll see you after Christmas."

"Guaranteed." With that Vinessa and Jacquie bid them farewell and headed back home.

Jes, Eva and Diego entered the family room to see a tall man standing next to Antonio. Jes assumed he was the lawyer that Antonio had mentioned earlier. The kids sat next to Jes on the couch.

"So, this is ASA Kot… he and I work on a lot of cases together and I've asked him to do us a favour."

"What's that, Dad?" Diego asked.

"Uh, well…" Antonio took a breath. He hadn't thought about how he was going to tell the kids about this. "Your mom left me a letter too… like the one she left you. In it, she asked that if Jes wanted to… to have her legally adopt you."

Eva and Diego looked to each other then to Jes. "Really?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. Turns out it was also in her will. Um, Mr. Kot is a good lawyer and a family friend… he's here for Jes to sign the papers… but only if everyone here is okay with this."

Eva's bottom lip quivered. "Will it mean that no one can try and take us away again?"

Steve nodded. "Yes, Eva. That means that you and your brother will always be together and with Jes and your dad… this means that no one can take you away from them. Jes will legally be known as your mom and this is permanent."

Diego hugged Jes. "Do you want that?"

Jes looked down to him and kissed his forehead. "I want us to be a family. I want us to be one family… no matter what. Remember… family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

The kids broke out into a fit of laughter. Even Steve laughed. "Well," He said. "If we're all in agreement… then Jes just needs to fill these out and sign… and I'll file them with the judge first thing in the morning."

"Then it'll be official?" Jes asked as she took the pen and packet of papers the Steve offered her.

"It will be. I, uh… I understand you're heading out of Chicago?" Steve asked Antonio.

"Yeah… Jes still owns her family's farm in Alberta… we're going there until I'm off medical leave."

"Okay. Leave me the address so I can courier a set of them to you… I'll also keep a copy for you in my office too." Steve pointed to one last set of papers that Jes needed to initial. As soon as Jes had finished, he took the pen and papers. "Thank you and congratulations you guys. I hear that wedding bells are also in the future?"

"Yeah. I asked… she said yes. This makes it that much easier." Antonio smiled.

"Uh… Jes just making sure I'm reading all the papers right… you're Jay's sister?"

Jes nodded. "His mom did this very same thing for me when I was 16."

"Well… then all the best and we'll be in touch." Steve shook Jes' hand and Antonio.

"Okay… so… we now should get a quick nap in. Our ride to the airport is in 4 hours. The flight leaves in six."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… there we go… I went all over the map… all rights to 'Love You Forever' belongs to Robert Munsch. Let me know what you think! Love always, Nicole!**_


	21. My Everything

The kids and Jes had fallen asleep quickly. Antonio lay in bed and couldn't sleep. He turned and watched Jes. Her face was peaceful. He sighed and looked at the bedside clock. They had to get up and be ready for Voight to pick them up in 3 hours. He hadn't slept yet. He decided he'd go get a drink. He kissed Jes' cheek and quietly got out of bed. He was starting to wish he had listened to Jes about keeping a glass for water in their bathroom. He went into the kitchen. After he had his glass, he took it and another clean glass to put into their bathroom. He was passing Diego's room when he heard cries coming from his bedroom. He ran back to their room and the glasses dropped from his hands when he saw Jes fighting an invisible attacker and gasping in her sleep. In a single stride, he was back on his bed trying to calm Jes. She was in a deep sleep. He thought back to the first night she'd been here under his protection. It was like this again. Alec had warned him that this could happen. He ducked one of her swings. He had to be careful to mind her ribs. "Jes… baby. Come on… you're scaring me." He leaned in and tried to pull her up but she was thrashing in her sleep. "Jes… Jeslyn!" He shouted. "Jes!" He wasn't giving up. He went to slap her cheek in hopes that she'd snap out of it. He stopped watching where her cast was. Then, it hit him. "Ah!" He cried out, falling backwards and he landed on the floor. Her cast had made a direct hit to his crotch. "Coño! Mama guevaso!" He was groaning on the floor. He couldn't move. The pain was beyond anything he'd felt in the boxing ring or even being shot.

Their bedroom door burst open and Diego and Eva were there. Diego had his baseball bat in his hands while Eva was wielding a stiletto. "Dad?"

"Watch the glass!" Antonio was able to warn them before they stepped on the shattered glass.

Eva turned on the lights. "Are you okay?"

Antonio nodded, but he wasn't able to speak. He was muttering every curse word he could ever think of.

"Mom!" Diego screamed.

Antonio pushed through the pain. He'd rather get hit again than risk Diego or Eva getting hit. He pulled himself up onto the bed. "Jes!" He shouted. "Baby, Jeslyn!"

Eva had grabbed a fresh glass of water and handed it to him. Antonio looked at the glass and gave Eva a look of 'What the hell is this for?" Eva answered. "Cold water should wake her up."

Antonio wasn't going to hesitate. He ducked the cast and splashed some of the water over Jes' face. Jes' eyes flew open as she sat up in bed. "Baby, it's okay… it's okay… just breathe."

Jes' eyes widened. "Oh! Oh no!"

Diego ran and got the broom to clean up the shards of glass off the floor. Eva handed Antonio a towel, who helped Jes dry off a bit.

"Jes, baby, breathe… please."

Jes focused on her breathing and it began to slow. Her heart began to stop racing and she allowed her thoughts to clear. "I am so sorry! I… I…"

Antonio pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. It's okay." He whispered. He rubbed her back. "It's okay. Alec said that this was something that could happen."

Jes sniffled. "I… I…" She grabbed at her ribs. "Oh… that hurts."

"I'll get some Advil." Eva offered.

"She can't have Advil." Antonio said. "There should be some Tylenol though."

Eva nodded and went to the medicine cabinet. She came back with the bottle of Tylenol and another glass of water. "Mom, are you okay?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. Just a really bad dream…"

"I get that. I remember Diego having them. It's going to okay." She hugged her. "I think I'm going to go start getting ready for our ride. I don't think I can fall back asleep."

"That's okay, sweetheart." Antonio took her hand. "Thank you. Could you make sure that both you and Diego are ready to go? We'll be out in a second."

Jes took the Tylenol and glass of water. "I know why I can't have Advil… but how did you know?"

"I have two other children. I do remember Laura's pregnancies. The first thing they said was no Aspirin or ibuprofen."

"Ah." Jes took another few small sips of the water. "Eva was right."

"I figured." He pushed her bangs back. "It's okay. What… what happened… what you went through… I'd be worried if you didn't have nightmares."

"I hit you… didn't I?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah… you got me good too."

"I don't see any blood… so it wasn't your nose."

"No… but it's a good thing you're pregnant now… I may not be able to make another baby."

Jes' jaw dropped. "I got you… oh shit… babe… I'm so sorry."

"Jes… I'll live… I may need some ice, but I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Yes. Now, let's go and dry you off… maybe change."

"Yeah… oh… my ribs hurt so bad."

"That's what happens when you thrash around in your sleep." He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I left the bed."

"What do you mean?"

"I got up to get a drink… when I came back… you were in a nightmare."

"Antonio."

"Jes… I shoulda just stayed put." He kissed her lips. They stopped trembling. "I'm so sorry, babe. I shoulda just stayed put."

"Antonio, you're not going to be home every night. I know that. It's part of your job… I would never ask you to give that up. Ever. I just… I'm going to have to find a way to deal with this."

"Jes… you can't do it alone." Antonio raised her chin so he could look right into her. He could see the fear in her eyes, but there was also something else. Hope. "I know you're strong, babe. I see it everyday… I've seen it from the day I met you."

"Antonio… I just… I hate that you have to see this again."

"Jeslyn, we're getting married… that means for better or for worse… thick and thin."

"I don't think that's exactly how marriage vows go." Jes giggled.

"There's the Jes I fell in love with." He kissed her again. "Now let's go and get you ready for our flight… sadly, the cast has turned you into a turtle."

"Not fair!" Jes protested.

"I love you all the same. Come on." Antonio got up off the bed and helped Jes up.

As Jes got her footing, a surge of nausea hit her and she bolted to the bathroom.

"Jes?" Antonio ran after her. "What's wrong?"

He got into the bathroom in time to see Jes puking in the toilet. Her skin was pale and she was sweating. She leaned back against the wall. She was shaking. "I…I don't know what that was."

"You got a fever?" Antonio asked as he felt her forehead and the back of her head. "No. Was it something you ate?"

"I doubt it. We all ate the same food." She began to gag and leaned over the toilet.

Antonio rubbed her back as she threw up again. "Shh… It's going to be okay… maybe I should call Alec."

She leaned back again and shut the lid while flushing the toilet. "No. If… if." She coughed. She took a piece of toilet paper and wiped her mouth. "If you do that… we're going to miss our flight."

"I'd rather rebook the flight that have you get worse at 30,000 feet."

"Antonio…"

"Jeslyn, please. Look, Alec isn't on call tonight… He can pop over really quick, just check you over. Make sure that the thrashing in your sleep isn't the reason that you're getting sick."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"I'm Dominican… we are generally very persistent."

"I call it pig-headed stubbornness." Jes sighed. "Fine, call him."

Antonio stood up and helped Jes to her feet. "I'll be right back. Think you'll be ok for a couple minutes?"

"Yeah. Is Alec going to be okay with you calling him at almost 10 at night?"

"I think in this case, he'll make an exception." Antonio went back into the bedroom to call Alec.

Jes looked in the mirror. She turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on her face. She grabbed her toothbrush and brushed her teeth. Her gag reflex almost caused her to lose it again. She was rinsing her mouth when Antonio came back.

"Good news, Alec's sister is there with her kids, so he'll be by in about 15 minutes." Antonio kissed her cheek. "How you feeling?"

"Better… brushing my teeth was no picnic thought." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I think I may actually sleep on the plane tonight."

"You should. I'm thinking maybe you should have a quick shower… it might help you feel a little better."

"Good plan, but how do I wash when I only have one arm?"

"I will help you, and then I will help you get dressed and by then, Alec will be here and we can take it from there."

"You're my hero, Detective."

"I think you're my hero, Jeslyn. You are so strong… so caring… I just… okay… I'm going to turn into a mushball here and now. Let's get you in that shower."

* * *

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* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jes was changed and tidied up. Alec was right on time. Antonio asked Eva and Diego to stay in the family room and promised that as soon as Alec was done the exam that he'd fill them in. He could see the worry in their faces. "Guys, she's going to be okay."

"We still worry. She's our mom." Eva said.

"Plus… it's our little brother or sister too…" Diego added.

"I promise you… as soon as I know anything I will come right out and tell you. Okay?"

"Okay." They sat on the couch and grabbed the remote.

Antonio headed to meet up with Alec and Jes in the bedroom. When he got in, Jes was getting her temperature taken. "Diagnosis, Alec?"

"She's got no fever, her heart rate, BP, pulse and everything else is checking out in the normal range. Her blood sugar is normal. Anything other than the vomiting?"

"She had a nightmare… this all started after that." Antonio said.

Jes glared at him. Alec caught her glare. "Jeslyn, it's normal. Can you tell me, at least, what it was about?"

She sighed. "I'm not going to get away with saying 'I have the right to remain silent', am I?"

"You're not under arrest here, Jes." Antonio crossed his arms. "Come on."

Jes groaned. "I was reliving it. The attack and the… the rape."

"Well, those kinds of nightmares aren't uncommon." Alec said. "But I don't think they'd be enough to cause vomiting." He put his stethoscope back in his bag. "Uh, let's check on the little one…" He pulled out the portable ultrasound. "Lift up your shirt. The jelly may be a little cold." He began the ultrasound and showed the screen to Jes and Antonio. "Little peanut is doing good. Everything looks good. Though, I'm thinking I may have discovered the cause of your nausea."

Jes pointed to the screen. "That tiny little being caused me to be that sick? I thought morning sickness was in the morning?"

Alec laughed. "Sadly, 'morning sickness' is a misnomer. It can happen any time of the day or night. In some rare cases, it can last the whole pregnancy."

"Don't tell her that!" Antonio groaned.

"I said it's rare. Right now, Jes is at the point in her pregnancy where she may start experiencing the nausea… heightened sense of smell… back pain…fatigue… breast pain…moodiness… headaches… dizziness… it's all normal stuff with being pregnant." Alec smiled. "I'll give you a script for Diclectin. It's an anti-nausea medication specifically for pregnant women. Take it when and if you need it. Have you guys found an OB yet?"

"Uh, no… not really… haven't had much time… do we need one right away?" Jes asked.

"I'd recommend finding one ASAP. Just because of everything you've been through… your original diagnosis of not being able to conceive… I just wanna make sure you're all clear."

"Thank you, Alec. Really. It means a lot." Jes smiled. She took a tissue and wiped off the excess jelly. She pulled her shirt down. "So, everything looks okay?"

"I'm not a specialist, but from what I know and remember from when Jules was pregnant… it looks great. You just need to pace yourself, and let Antonio help."

"Even if he's going to be a royal pain because he'll never leave me be now."

"Hey!" Antonio said. "I will not be a pain, but I will spoil the hell out of you and pamper you."

The door bust open and the kids rushed in. "What's going on? Is she okay? Is the baby okay? It's taking too long."

"Woah! Woah!" Antonio put his hands up. "We just got a diagnosis… you guys are more like your Tia Gaby than me sometimes…"

"Well, glad to know they have something…" Gaby poked her head in. "How's everything?"

"Gaby, what the hell are you doing here?" Antonio was lost.

"I'm here too." Jay stepped into the room.

"Oh for fuck's sake." Jes groaned.

"The kids called. Said you were sick or something… they were freaking out." Gaby said wrapping her arms around Diego. "They're worried sick about their parents."

"Well… Good news." Alec decided to save everyone some time. "Mom and baby are doing fine… the reason she got sick is she's starting to feel morning sickness."

"But… it's night." Jay said.

Jes said. "Well, turns out… it's not really only in the morning that you can get it."

"So… you're okay?" Eva asked.

Jes nodded. "Yes. I am fine and the baby is fine too."

"Thank God!" Diego exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to burst into a fit of laughter.

"Well, now that that mystery has been solved, I'm gonna head home and check on Emmy and Levi… you guys have a flight to catch. Now, go… spend time to get together and have a great Christmas. I look forward to seeing that little one." Alec bid everyone farewell and headed out.

Jes answered a slew of questions while Antonio moved everyone's suitcases to the front doorway. Jes looked to Jay and Gaby. "How are you two getting to the airport?"

"Uh, well… We figured we'd ride with you." Jay gave her his signature smirk.

"Hank is driving us. We didn't want to have to pay for long-term parking at O'Hare."

"Enough room for all of us?" Jay asked.

"There's already four of us plus luggage… I don't think his Escalade can hold more than that."

"So we need to pay for parking?" Jay pouted.

"Use an Über." Jes smirked.

"Not funny." Jay moaned. "Come on."

"Jay… we'll just take a cab. It's what my parents and brother and his family are doing." Gaby said. "We can have them pick us up from here."

"Cool!" Diego said. "Hey, Mom?"

"What is it, buddy?"

"Can I sit with Uncle Jay on the flight?"

"I don't see why not." Jes smiled. "If it's okay with him, I'm totally fine with it."

"Sounds like a fair trade… I think you and I could play a few rounds of Battleship or something."

"I'd kick your butt, Uncle Jay." Diego laughed.

"What you wanna bet?" Jay countered.

"Uh… I'll clean your car all summer if I lose."

"Oooooh." Gaby said. "What does he have to do if you win?"

Diego thought about it. "He has to… help me with my math homework for the rest of the school year."

"Deal." Jay extended his hand and they shook on it.

"What did I miss?" Antonio asked when he came back.

"Uh, our son and my brother decided to make a bet on who wins the most games while we're on the plane." Jes giggled. "Jay wins, Diego cleans his car all summer… Diego wins, Jay has to help him with his math homework for the rest of the school year."

"I see." Antonio laughed. "Well, whatever keeps the peace while we're in the air." He ruffled Diego's hair. "You just better play fair." He turned to Jay. "That goes to you too, bro."

"Hey… I always play fair." Jay said. "Scouts Honour!"

Jes scoffed. "Right. Okay, bro. Whatever you say."

The doorbell rang. "I've got it!" Eva ran out of the room.

* * *

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* * *

Hank had arrived right on time. They loaded the vehicle and they loaded Kevin's truck. Jay had asked Kevin to drive him and Gaby, as he was not in the mood to wait for a cab or a Über. They quickly headed off to O'Hare. Upon arriving they thanked Hank and Kevin for the rides.

"Have a safe trip." Hank hugged Jes. "I look forward to see you guys at New Years."

Antonio looked to him. "Sarge?"

"I invited Hank out for New Years. Actually, all of Intelligence." Jes smiled. "They're family… remember?"

"If that's what you want, babe." Antonio kissed her. "We'll see you in a couple weeks then." He shook Voight's hand and Voight headed off into the night.

Kevin hugged everyone. "Jacquie said our flights are booked for the 28th."

"We'll see you then. Call us when you're about to take off. We'll be at the airport to pick you up." Jes hugged him. "And thanks again for taking care of Minion for the first little bit."

"Hey! No worries." Kevin laughed. "Vinessa loves having her around. She's quite the attention hog."

"Not with us… but hey, if she's happy and you guys are cool with it and bringing her down when you come… that's great." Antonio laughed. "We'll see you guys later."

"Definitely." Kevin finished hugging everyone. "Jacquie insisted that I remind you have to call her when you land in Toronto and again when you land in Edmonton and finally, when you get to the farm."

"Tell my honorary sister that she will be annoyed at the amount of times I call or text her." Jes stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Now go home and both of you need to sleep."

Kevin headed off and Antonio, Jes, Gaby, Jay and the kids headed into the airport for check-in.

* * *

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* * *

"Hi, I'd like to check-in my family for the flight to Toronto." Antonio said to the older woman behind the counter.

"Oh, of course. Passports?"

Antonio handed over his passport with the kids'. Jes reached into her purse and grabbed hers. "Here you go."

Gaby handed hers over with Jay's.

"Sure thing." She smiled and punched some information into the computer. "Oh, of course!" She printed out boarding passes. "You have a whole group flying with us correct? Connecting flight to Edmonton?"

"That's right. There's the six of us, my brother, his wife, and their three kids as well as my parents."

"Yep. I have you all here… and you've all been upgraded."

"I beg your pardon." Antonio turned to Jes. "We couldn't afford that."

"It's appearing on our records as a gift." She turned the screen to face Jes and Antonio.

Jes read the screen. "She's right."

Antonio sighed. "Well, okay then."

The lady smiled and handed them their boarding passes. "When the rest of the party shows up, we'll get them their boarding passes and you'll be the first ones on the plane. Have a safe flight!"

Antonio thanked her and they headed off to Security to pass through. Going through Security barely took anytime, as there were little to no people in line. Once they were passed Security they sat in the waiting area for the rest of the family to arrive.

"I wonder who paid for those upgrades." Antonio thought out loud.

"Hun, does it really matter?" Jes put her head on his shoulder. She was sleepy, but considering the night's earlier events, that was to be expected.

"I guess not." Antonio stroked her cheek. "Get some rest while we wait for everyone else."

Jes nodded off into a peaceful slumber. Antonio didn't dare move. Gaby took the kids to find some snacks while Jay sat across from Antonio and Jes.

"What happened?"

Antonio asked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, with Jes. Why did Alec have to come? Why were the kids freaking out that she was dying?"

"Jay, you're blowing this whole thing out of proportion."

"Antonio, come on, man. You know me. That's my sister and I worry about her."

Antonio sighed. "I couldn't sleep, so I got up to get a glass of water… when I came back to the room… she was in the middle of a nightmare… thrashing everywhere… I tried to wake her up and she hit me in the groin with her cast."

"Ah, well… I'd say you deserve it but you are the father of my unborn niece or nephew… and I like you… so ouch."

"Yeah… the kids heard the screaming… came running… saw the scene… do that math from there."

Jay nodded. "Well, at least she's going to be okay." He looked at his sister. "She's so happy with you. I can honestly tell you… I haven't seen her smile this way or laugh or just enjoy life since her dad died… ten years ago."

Antonio looked down at her. "I couldn't imagine my life without her. She's been… an angel."

"Have you guys talked about a wedding date or anything yet?"

Antonio shook his head. "We haven't had a chance. I'm hoping we can talk about it in the next couple days."

"What do you want?"

Antonio sighed. "I don't know. I just want her happy. I want her to have that dream wedding. I don't care if it's in a church, or a field, or on a beach. I just want to marry her."

Jay smiled. "I can almost guarantee a church wedding in your future… that I know that was all she'd ever talk about if marriage was brought up in a conversation."

"I don't care where. I just want to be her husband and take care of her and our children." He gently stroked the ring on Jes' left hand. "She's my everything."

"I'm very happy to hear that." Jay got up and patted him on the back. "I'm gonna go grab a coffee. You want one?"

Antonio shook his head. "No thanks. I'll be attempting to sleep on this flight."

"Fair enough. Be right back."

Antonio kissed the top of Jes' head. They would have to discuss picking a date. They'd also have to discuss if she'd want to get married before or after the baby was born. He prayed it would be before. He didn't want a long engagement. He sighed contently. Whatever they decided… it would be their decision as a couple and that was all that mattered.

* * *

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* * *

Jes awoke about an hour later. Antonio's shoulder was killing him, but he'd push through it knowing that Jes had gotten some form of rest. The rest of the family had already arrived and were chatting quietly in the waiting area. Jes went to chat with Jay while Antonio went for a quick walk and tried to work out the knot that had formed in his shoulder. He bought a small bottle of Advil and a bottle of water. He'd need to not be in pain for the duration of the flights. He went back to the group.

Gaby walked up to him. "Got a minute, Antonio?"

"What is it, Gaby?"

"I'm worried about Jes."

"We all are." Antonio took a swig of his water.

"Antonio… what did Alec really say about the baby?"

Antonio stared at her. "Do you think we're hiding something from you guys… from the kids?"

"I don't know, Antonio. You tell me."

"Alec said she needed to see an OB ASAP." He saw the look on Gaby's face. "Not because something's wrong… but to make sure the pregnancy progresses well because of the damage from all those years ago."

"Do you guys have one?"

"The one Laura had for the kids retired… so no. I haven't thought about babies in a decade… it's… it's a lot."

"I can give you guys my OB's name and info. I'm pretty sure that she'd take Jes on."

"You trust her?" Antonio didn't just want any doctor taking care of his fiancée and unborn child.

"I would trust her with my life if I was pregnant. She's got a great record and she specializes in high risk type pregnancies."

Antonio cocked his head to the side. "Something you… uh… wanna talk about, sis?"

"NO!" She exclaimed. "I'm not pregnant… just when Matt and I were… still together… I wanted to make sure I was going to be okay to have kids."

"Okay… well… give me her information and we'll call her when we get to Toronto… but Alec thinks she should be seen sooner… I think Jes mentioned trying to get in to see her old OB when we get to Edmonton."

"Is it still surreal that we're going there… seeing where she's from?"

Antonio nodded. "It is… but it's part of who she is. I need to get to know that."

Gaby hugged him. "I'm so happy for you, 'Tonio. Just make sure you keep Jes in the loop on stuff… when you get back to work… and all that?"

"I will. I won't lose her." Antonio turned to watch Jes with his family. "I just want to get there, so she's not too riled up or excited."

"I hear you, bro… I hear ya."

"This is the first boarding call for Envoy Air Flight WS5673 with service to Toronto. All those in Business Class, or seat upgrades… please proceed to the gate." An announcement came over the speakers.

"I guess it's time to get on board." Gaby smiled. "It's going to be okay, Antonio."

Antonio nodded and went to grab their carry-ons. They boarded the flight and quickly realized that their whole group had taken up the Business Class section of the plane. He wondered if anyone had been moved for them, but no one made a complaint so he put the carry-ons where the flight attendants indicated and let Jes slide into the seat by the window. He settled into the seat next to her and quickly came to the realization that for once, he wasn't going to be uncomfortable on a plane.

"This is very comfortable." He said, turning to Jes.

She was beaming. "It is. The seats are wider and I don't have to worry about getting jabbed in the ribs."

"I promise." He leaned over and kissed her. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I think I have an idea, Detective." She took his hand in hers. "I hope you're ready for an adventure."

"I am more than ready as long as I'm with you and the kids."

* * *

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* * *

Several hours and a turbulent flight over the prairies later, the Dawson clan landed safely in Edmonton.

"Welcome to Edmonton, Alberta. The temperature is -25 and we've got some snow falling. Hope you all brought your parkas and winter gear. We hope you had a pleasant flight. On behalf of the crew and myself, thank you for flying WestJet. Have a pleasant stay!" There was a pause. "Bienvenue à Edmonton. La température au moment est -25 degrés Celcius et il y a de la neige qui tombe. J'espère que vous avez emportez vos parkas et vos bottes à neige. De la part de l'équipage et de moi-même, merci pour avoir choisi WestJet. J'espère que vous passez un bon temps à Edmonton."

"Do all Canadian flights do that?" Diego asked from the seat in front of them.

"Yeah, buddy, they do. Canada is officially a bilingual country." Jes smiled. "You guys ready?"

Diego nodded enthusiastically. "By the way, Uncle Jay has to help me with math… he lost by 3 games."

Antonio patted Jay's shoulder. "I don't envy you."

Jay shrugged. "It's fifth grade math… how hard can it be?"

Jes laughed. "Oh, if only you knew."

The flight attendants came and told them that they could deplane in a couple minutes. They were very kind. The head attendant came and shook Antonio and Jes' hands. "Thank you… for everything you do."

Jes looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

"You're them… the ones from Chicago… that took down the Cartel?" She had a distinct French accent.

Jes turned to Antonio. "Uh, how is…"

"It was all over the international news." She smiled kindly. "I didn't mean to catch you off guard… but we really respect what work you do."

"Thank you." Antonio smiled. "Thank you for making this flight as comfortable as possible. It's definitely one of the better flights I've had."

"Thank you. Enjoy your stay and Merry Christmas."

"Joyeux Noël." Jes smiled.

Antonio grabbed their carry-ons and they headed out of the fuselage and into the tunnel leading into the Edmonton International Airport.

* * *

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* * *

Getting through security was quick for Jes, but took a little longer for the others. She patiently waited as they cleared customs one by one. Antonio and Jay took the longest as they had brought their side arms with them. After signing the necessary paperwork, they joined Jes and the others at the luggage claim.

"Why did you get through so fast?" Jay asked.

Jes laughed. "Helps that I still travel on my Canadian passport. It makes coming back a lot easier. Also helps that I didn't have to bring a gun into the country."

"Hey, we've been granted special permits by the RCMP for the duration of our stay." Antonio grinned. "I'll wait if it means that I'm able to protect my family."

Jes broke out into a fit of laughter. Antonio and Jay stared at her. They turned to the others. "Anyone know what's so funny?"

They shrugged. "No clue."

When Jes calmed herself, she explained. "We're not in Chicago. The crime rate in Edmonton is way low, and there's barely any crime rate out in the country where we're going to be… unless you plan on shooting the coyotes that howl in the middle of the night?"

Antonio shook his head. "Forgive me. I forget we're in a different setting entirely here."

"Could Jeslyn Bellamy please come to the security office? Jeslyn Bellamy to the security office." A page came over the intercom.

Jes turned and headed towards Security. Antonio dropped their bags and followed behind her. She may be home, but he wasn't letting her out of her sight. "Babe, slow down." He called after her.

Jes waited for him to catch up. "I can go to the security office myself, you know."

"I promised a bunch of people that I'd keep you safe, and I am keeping that promise." He took her hand.

"Okay." Jes smiled. "It's just here." She walked up to the counter. "I'm Jeslyn Bellamy."

"Hi there." A kind security officer smiled. "May I see your passport please, just to confirm your identity."

Jes nodded and handed him the passport. He smiled back, returning the passport and an envelope. "This was left for you a little while ago."

"Thank you." Jes shook the officer's hand. "Let's go, Antonio."

"Go where, exactly?"

Jes grinned. "The parkade. The people who watch the farm… they brought my vehicle as well as arranged a few rentals for everyone else."

"You have people?" Antonio smirked.

"They're close family friends. Damien was my dad's best friend and they served together. I trust them." She smiled. "You'd like him… he's a cop too."

"Oh boy." Antonio took her hand. "Can I have the key to your vehicle, please?"

"Uh, why?"

Antonio pointed to her cast. "Come on, baby. Do you seriously think you can drive with that?"

"If I'm out of the sling I can. Alec made sure the cast would still allow me to function. It wasn't that bad of a break. I've driven with worse. Trust me."

"Jes, come on… you don't need more stress in your life."

"Driving here is a thousand times less stressful than navigating through Chicago. If it gets too much, you can drive… but you follow my directions."

Antonio sighed. He knew he wasn't going to win. "Deal."

Jes reached into the envelope and pulled out her Jeep key. "The other keys in there are for the rentals. One for Javi and his family. One for Jay and Gaby and one for you parents."

"You didn't need to do all of that."

"I'm not the one who did. Hank arranged some of it, Damien handled the rest."

"Oh boy." Antonio put his arm around her. "You seriously have a way with wrapping men around your little finger, you know that?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jes grinned innocently.

They rejoined the group and grabbed their luggage and headed out into the snow. It didn't take long to find the vehicles. All of them were parked next to one another. Jes' crimson Jeep Cherokee was pristine.

"I thought you said you sold it." Jay asked.

"I did… to Damien. He bought it so the insurance would stay low. The paperwork's been transferred back to me for the time we're here."

"Huh." Jay scratched his head. "Any other little secrets that you're keeping from me?"

"Nope." Jes kissed his cheek. "Do you remember the way to the farm?"

Jay nodded. "More or less. You going to give Antonio the directions?"

"No, she plans on driving." Antonio said as he closed the hatch of the Jeep. "And don't bother trying to talk her out of it… I did and I got no where."

Jay surrendered. "Okay, well… let's get out of here… before the snow makes it impossible to get anywhere."

"Jay, come on… you're from Chicago… it snows… it's humid year round… a prairie winter can't be that bad." Jes snickered.

He sighed. "I can't win."

Everyone got into their vehicles. Jes plugged in her phone and connected to the Bluetooth. She put on some music and made sure everyone was buckled up. "Ready?"

The kids nodded. Antonio looked to the gearshift. "Standard?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Especially in this weather." She smiled. "Trust me, baby. I know what I'm doing." She popped the Jeep into 'reverse' and pulled out of her stall. She had no problem changing gears and they were soon on the highway headed north of the airport for home.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio watched in awe at how natural this all was for Jes. The snow was almost blinding, yet Jes knew exactly how to handle each curve and each intersection. They took the ring road around the city to avoid a majority of lights and potential accidents.

"How far from the airport is your farm, Mom?" Eva asked.

"In this weather and with these roads? About an hour, hour and fifteen minutes."

"That's it?" Diego said. He stared out the window at all the open space that was around them. "There's barely anything here. Like no houses or anything."

"Oh, there's houses and stuff… out here, the city develops slowly… and it's starting in the south. My family farm is north. It'll be a while before there's a lot of development out there."

"It's so open." Eva gasped. "And dark… like I can see the stars."

Jes nodded. Unlike Chicago, there was very little light pollution here. "Wait til we get to the farm. You'll see something very special." She turned up the volume a little bit as "Airplanes" came on over the speakers. Jes had always loved this song. She sang along. "Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now. Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars? I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now."

"Mom? You sing?"

Jes' cheeks burned. She wasn't used to having an audience with her in the car while she sang. "Sometimes."

"You're really good." Eva smiled. She joined in when the chorus came back on.

Antonio just tapped his fingers on the side of the door in rhythm of the music. He was amazed at how Jes and Eva were bonding. Jes turned on the signal lights and they pulled off the ring road and onto a highway.

"How far now?" Antonio asked.

"About 15 minutes. Have to watch for check stops and radar though. They like hiding above the overpasses. I really don't want a ticket tonight."

"Just why would you get a ticket?" Antonio glanced over at the speedometer. "What's the limit here?"

"100."

"Miles an hour?!"

"Kilometers. So about 60 miles an hour."

"Your going 120km/hr. That's breaking the law." Antonio pointed out.

"You going to arrest me, Detective?" She grinned mischievously.

"Mom!" Diego covered his ears. "We're still here, you know."

"Sorry, buddy." Jes blushed. "Still getting used to all of this."

"We know… just… yeah." Eva's cheeks were burning. She couldn't think of a time when her parents had been that way before the divorce. She knew that this was a much healthier relationship and for that she was thankful.

Jes turned off onto an overpass and headed down a ramp. She popped the Jeep out of gear and slowly eased into the breaks.

"What's that do?" Diego asked.

"If the engine's not in gear, there's no push to keep the vehicle going. It makes stopping on ice a lot easier and safer." Jes smiled.

"Is there a lot of ice?" He asked again.

"I can't see any, but that doesn't mean that it's not there. Better safe than sorry." She came to a complete stop at a stop sign.

"Where are we?" Eva asked.

"This is Morinville… it's where I grew up… well the town anyhow… the farm's still about five minutes away." Jes was flooded with memories. Most of them good, but there were some that weren't so good. "We're almost there." As they pulled out of the town limits, Jes picked up the speed.

"Is it safe to be going the speed limit on these roads?"

"You don't trust me?" Jes asked.

"Uh…" Antonio sighed. "I love you, but I don't know these roads…"

"It's fine, hun." Jes began to slow down and turned on her signal lights. "You'll learn pretty quick, since we're going to be here for a while." She popped the Jeep into neutral and began a left hand turn. She pulled up on a lever next to the gearshift before popping the Jeep back into gear.

"What's that all about?" Antonio was trying to figure everything out.

"Trick that my dad taught me about driving these roads in the winter. Pop it out of gear, throw it into 4x4 and go back into gear." She smiled at the lesson. She'd been 12 at the time. "I've always done that… well until I got the Journey… it has All-Wheel so I don't need to worry about popping it in and out of 4x4."

"Your dad taught you a lot of stuff didn't he?"

Jes nodded and sniffled. "Yeah. You really woulda liked him."

Antonio rubbed her arm. "I know I would've. I think I'd have to thank him for what he's taught you."

Jes smiled. She remembered all the times her dad had taught her stuff about vehicles, cooking, agriculture… family. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. She really missed her dad and what they had had. Driving this road was instinct. She turned on the signal and turned right into the driveway of her farm. She pulled up to the house and killed the engine. "This…" She cleared her throat. "This is my family home."

Eva and Diego pressed their faces to the glass in awe. "Wow!"

"Come on, guys. Let's see it from outside. The windows don't do it justice." Jes slowly opened the door and stepped out. She took in a deep breath of the chilly night air. It did feel good to be home.

Antonio walked out around the Jeep to stand next to Jes. It was a deeper chill than he had expected, but Jes had warned him about the cold. He rubbed his hands together before slipping his gloves on and wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's beautiful." He stared out into the open space. The barns and granaries, he assumed that's what they were, were old and weathered but still standing and from what he could tell, in use. There was a giant snow pile off to one side. The yard was huge. Something he wasn't used to, but he could see the draw to living here.

Jes looked over her shoulder into his eyes. "It is. I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"How long has it been since you've been here?"

"Too long." Jes heaved a sigh. "I come visit once and a while… or I did when I still lived here. I haven't actually stayed here since we left… back when I was about 13 or so."

"Mom?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, Eva, what's up?"

"What's that?" She pointed to the clear night sky.

Jes grinned. "Those are the Northern Lights."

"Aurora Borealis happens here?" Diego asked excitedly.

Jes laughed. "Yeah. It happens quite often actually, especially around this time of year."

"It's so bright!" Eva squealed. "The stars are so bright here. It's so different than being in the city."

"It is. It's also quieter and a lot more peaceful." Jes said. She watched as the kids pointed out different constellations and admired the snow falling. "They seem happy here." She whispered to Antonio.

He nodded. "It's the happiest I've seen them in a long time. You've made them happy again, babe."

Jes blushed. "It isn't just me."

"You are too modest." He kissed her cheek. "What's that?" He pointed at the approaching lights coming from the far end of the yard.

"That would be Damien and his wife, Meg. They live just on the other side of the lake. They watch the property for me, take care of the main house and guest house as well as make sure my land renter pays on time." Jes waved as the snowmobile pulled up next to her Jeep. "Damien was my dad's best friend. Hi!" She ran to hug the couple as they got off the snowmobile.

"Hey, you." Meg hugged her.

"Ouch." Jes groaned.

Meg stepped back. "What on God's green earth happened to you, sweetheart?"

"I'll explain, maybe we can make some hot chocolate?" Jes smiled.

"Sure thing." Meg hugged her lightly. "I'll go put the kettle on." She took out a set of keys and headed into the main house.

Damien, having paid attention to Meg and Jes, gently hugged Jes. "I'm happy you decided to come up. It's been a long time."

Jes nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "Too long. Uh, Damien… I'd like you to meet some very important people…" She signaled to Antonio and the kids. "This is Antonio, Eva and Diego…"

Damien shook everyone's hand.

"My fiancé and my newly adopted children."

Damien swung around. "What do you mean fiancé?"

Jes was beaming. "I didn't want to tell you over the phone. I'll explain everything once we get inside."

Damien looked Antonio over and Antonio could tell that Damien was gauging what kind of man he was.

The other vehicles pulled up right at that moment. Jes pointed to where they could park. As everyone got out of their vehicles, Jes introduced them to Damien. "So this is Damien, he's the one who's been taking care of this property for me… he was my dad's best friend. Damien, this is Jay… my adopted brother… Gaby, Antonio's sister. Javier, Antonio's brother and his wife, Victoria and their kids, Freddy, Carla and Maria. These are Antonio's parents, Emmanuel and Constanza."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Damien shook everyone's hand. "Welcome. Uh, my wife, Meg went in the main house to make some hot cocoa if anyone's interested."

There was a round of agreement and they all headed inside. They'd deal with the luggage later.

* * *

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* * *

After Javier, his family and Antonio's parents were settled into the guest house, and Eva and Diego went to set up their room, Gaby, Jay, Antonio and Jes sat down to fill Damien and Meg in on the situation.

"Before I tell you guys anything, you have to promise not to flip out… or blame Jay or Antonio for any of this?"

Meg squeezed Damien's hand. "Promise."

Damien nodded. He had always thought of Jes as a daughter. He had a feeling that he'd be angry, but a promise was a promise. "Okay."

"So, I know you guys didn't get much notice from me when I decided to go back to Chicago, and I kinda owe you guys a little bit of an explanation."

"Sweetie, you don't owe us anything." Meg patted her hand.

"I wanted to go back, see if I could do something better than teach kids who didn't want to be taught. So I headed back there… took Jay by surprise."

"That is true." Jay nodded. "I can't say that I'm mad though. I missed having her around."

"Once I got there, things got a little… exciting, for a lack of a better word. Jay needed me safe, so he got Antonio to keep an eye on me. They work together in Intelligence. Well, Antonio and I ended up falling for each other. We've been together a little over seven months now… and he asked me to marry him a couple days ago." She showed them the ring.

"Antonio, you've got good taste." Meg grinned as she congratulated them.

"Diego had some hand in on it too." Antonio laughed. "My kids… our kids love Jes and I promise that I'm going to be doing everything to keep her happy and safe."

"Good to hear." Damien shook his hand. "Can you explain why she looks like she went a few rounds with Mike Tyson?"

"I was getting to that." Jes said. "As you know, Jacquie and I got P2K off the ground… turns out I specifically pissed off a lot of people because their runners and mules were coming to me instead of the gangs."

Antonio noticed how Meg squeezed Damien's arm. He found it odd, because it was when Jes mentioned Jacquie.

"It didn't help that Antonio's ex-wife… she ended up in bed with the head of the Colombian cartel… he put a hit out on me. Antonio ended up shot protecting me and the kids… then about a week later, I snuck out of protective custody to clear my head… I got kidnapped by the cartel leader… then uh… long story made short, he and an old classmate beat the shit out of me. I have a few busted and cracked ribs, a fractured right arm and a mild concussion."

Damien turned to Antonio and Jay. "Are the bastards responsible dead or at least in custody?"

Jay nodded. "Yes, sir. I personally took out the cartel leader."

"Then I hold nothing against either of you."

"How's Jacquie?" Meg asked.

It was then that Antonio saw it. "You're Jacquie's parents."

Everyone swung to face them and jaws dropped. "What?"

Jes sighed. "I was going to tell you eventually, but yeah. These are Jacquie's parents."

"So all this stuff… it's why Jacquie didn't want us flying out right away… why she didn't want us watching the news?" Meg asked.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry… I begged her not to say anything. I didn't want you guys making yourselves sick over it. I couldn't do that to you guys again."

"Sweetheart, we never have and never will hold that against you. You are like another daughter to us." Damien took Jes' hand. "We worried about both of you moving out there… we won't deny that… but I know how much that meant to both of you to help get those kids off the street. We couldn't be more proud of the women you've both become. You're so strong. You've overcome so much. I know… I know that your dad would be so proud of you."

Jes got off her chair and hugged Damien tightly. "Thank you." She let the tears fall. "Thank you for everything."

"We're always here for you." Meg said, carefully joining the hug. "Uh, are you guys going to be okay while we go to Chicago for Christmas?"

Jes nodded. "Uh, yeah. I still know where everything is. We'll go get groceries and stuff tomorrow."

"Meg stocked the fridges, freezers and pantries." Damien laughed. "All the Christmas stuff is in the basement storage room… and I bought a new tree for you too."

"Damien, you really didn't have to do that!" Jes exclaimed. "Please give me the receipts. I can't let you foot that whole bill… it would be huge!"

"Not going to happen." Meg said. "Think of it as our gift to you."

"Meg, it's ridiculous." Jes looked to Antonio. "Help."

"He's not going to convince us either." Damien said. "He's taking care of you and you're happy… it's all we could've ever asked for… all your dad would've wanted for you."

"This isn't over." Jes wiped away a tear. "I'll figure out a way to repay you."

The whole table laughed. Everyone knew how stubborn Jes could be.

"When are you headed to Chicago?" Gaby asked.

"We leave tomorrow night. We'll fly back with Jacquie and her…" Damien was struggling with the fact this his daughter was dating. Antonio could see it.

"Her boyfriend?" Jay finished.

"Yes. I understand that he works with you?" Meg questioned.

Antonio nodded. "He does. Kevin's a great guy. He loves your daughter to no end."

"Is the little girl that lives with them his daughter?" Damien asked.

Jes' jaw dropped. "Didn't Jacquie tell you?"

"Tell us what?" Meg was worried.

"Vinessa is Kevin's little sister. He's been raising her since… well since his mom took off." Jay said.

"OH!" Meg exclaimed. "No! She didn't say anything of the sort."

"That's a different story." Damien sighed. "I wasn't sure I wanted my daughter getting caught up in some family drama if it was his daughter and there was a mom…"

"Damien!" Meg glared at her husband. "I'm sure you know Kevin a lot better than us."

"Meg, Damien…" Jes started. "I've gotten to know him really well. He adores Jacquie… treats her like a goddess. She's happy. Happier than I've seen her… since…" Her voice cracked.

Antonio wrapped his arm around her. He knew what she was talking about. He could only imagine how painful it was for these parents. Losing one daughter in a tragedy and having another one move to another country. He knew if Eva had wanted to do that, it would be really hard to let go.

"Jes, sweetie, you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened that night." Meg wiped away the tears. "Jacquie never did, we never did… none of us did. Sweetie, look at me." Jes looked up. "We are just wanting you guys to live your dreams. It's all a parent could ask for."

"She's right you know." A deep voice came from the hallway.

Jes jumped and turned around. "Chris!" She ran to hug the man in the hallway. "I thought you weren't going to be here?"

"I couldn't miss seeing you." He kissed her cheek. "What on Earth happened?" He took a step back and looked at her.

"We kinda already covered this…" Jes started.

Meg stepped in. "Long story short, Jes is a hero and she took a beating proving it. The end."

Chris eyes his mother. "On va en discuter plus tard."

"Chris!" Jes smacked his arm. "Don't speak in French with non-French speakers in the room. It's rude."

"It's fine." Jay stepped in. "I'm Jay… Halstead."

"Your family adopted Jes… after…" Chris pointed out. Jay nodded. "She always said her heroes wore Kevlar."

"Well, her dad wore it in the Army, I wore it... still do... same with you..."

Jay looked to Jes. "Really?"

"I was 17… and I kinda had a crush on him." Jes blushed before continuing. "Uh, Chris… so this is Jay, obviously… and Gaby… and that is Antonio… my fiancé."

Chris was shaking everyone's hand and stopped at Antonio. "Fiancé… huh? He a cop too?"

"Detective." Antonio extended his hand. "I'm second in command of the Intelligence unit where Jay works… and where your sister's boyfriend works."

Chris shook it. "Good to know. Keep her happy… and you ever hurt her…"

"I got that memo… a long time ago… trust me." Antonio pointed to Jay.

"So, what do you do, Chris?" Gaby asked.

"I followed in Dad's footsteps." Chris grinned. "I did my four year stint with the Air Force and then got into the RCMP. I actually just got stationed here in town."

"Really?" Jes asked. "I thought you wanted to be EPS?"

"RCMP is a little more up my alley. I don't want to be in the big cities." Chris smiled. "I wanted to be closer to home too."

"Are you going to Jacquie's for Christmas?" Jes asked.

"Sadly, I'm scheduled to be on shift… perks of being the newbie." Chris heaved a sigh. "But I'll see her when she comes up for New Year's." He looked at Jes. "Is there something you haven't told us?"

"What makes you ask that?" Jes cocked her head to one side.

"Because you have the look in your eye… the same look you had when you and Jacquie snuck out that one time over reading week and got caught sneaking into a movie." Chris crossed his arms. "Talk."

"You think you can make me talk?" Jes laughed. "I'm marrying a cop, my brother is a cop… haha!"

"Antonio?" Chris looked him in the eye. "What's she hiding?"

"I ain't saying…" Antonio wrapped his arms around Jes. "My loyalty is to her."

Chris looked Jes over again. "Your pregnant."

Jaws dropped and voices overlapped. "What?" "How did you know?" "Is that why you're getting married?" The questions began to overwhelm Jes.

Antonio whistled sharply. "Woah! Jes can't really get too overwhelmed… not good for her ribs."

Everyone settled down and sat around the table.

"Is Chris right?" Meg asked.

Jes nodded slowly. "Yeah… we found out… after I was hospitalized."

Damien glared at Antonio. "Is that the only reason you're marrying her?"

Antonio had to refrain from losing it. "No, it's not. Sir. I was going to propose no matter what. We… we originally thought she couldn't have kids… it didn't change how I felt about her… and having a baby now… it's a blessing."

"Damien, you don't have to get super protective of me." Jes said. "Jacquie, Gaby and Jay already let him have it. It is a blessing."

"Do the other kids know?" Meg asked.

"What other kids?" Chris jumped in.

"Eva and Diego know. We told them a couple days ago." Antonio nodded.

"Who are Eva and Diego?" Chris was lost. He was starting to wish that he had been able to get here sooner, but his relief constable showed up thirty minutes late.

"My children… our children." Antonio took Jes' hand. "Jes legally adopted them yesterday. They're from my previous marriage… my ex… she was killed and it was part of her last request."

"I see." Chris tapped his chin. "Where are they?"

"Probably sound asleep." Gaby stood up and stretched. "They've had a long couple days."

"Cool." Chris leaned against the wall.

"How did you know?" Jes asked Chris.

"Know what?"

"That I'm pregnant… no one else knows… well you guys here, the kids and Jacquie…"

"You have that same glow… same glimmer in your eyes… like… back then." Chris lowered his head. "Sorry."

"Don't be. They know." Jes yawned. "I'm beat."

"We should let you get some sleep then." Meg got up to leave. "Come on you two. Let's let these guys some sleep."

Jes got up and hugged everyone. "We haven't told Antonio's family yet. We're telling everyone else New Year's Eve…"

"Our lips are sealed." Damien kissed her cheek. "Get some sleep. We'll check on you guys before we leave. Have a good night, and welcome home."

"Thanks." Jes blushed. "Thank you again… for everything."

"Congrats, Jes… Antonio." Chris shook Antonio's hand. "I'll be around if you need anything."

"Thanks."

The Lennox family took off into the snowy night. Everyone else headed to their respective rooms.

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* * *

Antonio helped Jes get into her nightshirt. "Everything okay, babe?"

"Yeah… just thinking about some stuff." She carefully slid her cast through the armhole of her nightshirt.

"So, Jacquie's parents… you've known them a long time?"

"After Dad was killed, Damien and Meg wanted to take me in… but it was too hard for them because Damien was going through PTSD… so they helped me in everyway they could… including getting Jacquie, me and Emma… that was Jacquie's little sister… a place in the city… we were all roommates with a couple of Jacquie's friends."

"Ah." Antonio pulled off his clothes and laid it across the chair in the corner. "Chris is Jacquie's older brother?"

"Yeah… he's 30. I had the biggest crush on him… back then… don't you give me that look, Antonio… I only have eyes for you now." She kissed him before pushing him onto the bed.

"Jes…" He warned.

"I'm not looking for sex here, babe… not until my ribs are back to normal… but I do want to cuddle."

"Jes, I gotta know… how did he know about the baby back then?"

"Jacquie begged him to take me to buy a test… he was the only one anyone trusted."

"Does he know how you…"

"Does he know I was raped?"

Antonio nodded. "I hate that word… especially when it's in the same sentence as you."

"He knows… I had to fess up after the test came back positive."

"What else?"

"What do you mean 'what else'?" Jes put her head on his chest.

"There's something else there." He stroked her arm. "You can tell me."

"Chris offered to marry me… if I had wanted to keep the baby… to give the baby a good name."

Antonio was taken by surprise. "Uh… I don't know what to say to that."

"Don't worry. I had already made up my mind to give the baby up… I didn't need him throwing away his career for me."

"Well, as long as he doesn't try to stop me from marrying you… that is the past… you and me… that's the future."

"I like that." She snuggled up tightly against him. "You're nice and warm."

"Your personal body heater, milady." He kissed her forehead. "I love you. Get some rest."

"Yes, sir." She lifted her face to his. "I love you." She kissed his lips. "Wake me up when the sun is up."

"You got it." Antonio reached up and flipped off the light. He lay there and listened to Jes' breathing slow and she was asleep. He thought about everything that had happened in the last few days. He then heard a lone coyote howl into the night. It sent a shiver up his spine. It was eerily quiet here at night, but the woman he loved, the mother of his children, was in his arms. He kissed her cheek and slowly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

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 _ **A/N: Well… I had a complicated week leading up to this… probably why the twists are there. Any part of the story that takes place in Canada is actually based on cities and towns around my hometown… Hope you enjoyed the read. Let me know what you think!**_


	22. Halo

_**A/N: This chapter takes places over the days leading up to Christmas. Let me know what you think. As always, please read and review.**_

 _ **Love, Nicole**_

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* * *

 **December 20…**

They woke up feeling refreshed. They hadn't set an alarm and for the first time ever, they'd slept in past 8. Antonio helped Jes get dressed and they headed downstairs to the kitchen. Antonio set to making breakfast while Jes slowly set the table. She felt a little useless as her cutting arm was currently sitting in a cast for the next 4 to 6 weeks.

"Argh!" She exclaimed. "This is nuts."

Antonio turned to face her. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't do anything." Jes slumped down into a chair. "It doesn't matter what arm I break, I'm screwed… left… I can't write… right arm… I can't cook."

"Baby, it's only for another few weeks."

"It still sucks." She was pouty. She sighed. "I'm sorry. We're supposed to be on holidays."

Antonio poured the egg mixture into the skillet, washed his hands and knelt next to her. "Babe, I think it's a little more than the cast…"

"Hormones? Already?"

"It's possible." He kissed her hand. "Don't forget, every pregnancy is as unique as the woman going through it."

"Can you… can you tell me what Laura's were like?"

Antonio sighed. "Babe, you really want to hear that?"

She nodded. "It's your baby… maybe… maybe they'll be similar."

Antonio shrugged. "I wasn't around much for either one… I know she had morning sickness pretty bad… but that only lasted until about week 24 or so… then uh… I don't know much else… babe… I wasn't really around much… I spent so much time undercover that… I almost missed both of them being born."

Jes hung her head. "Oh."

"Jes, I'm not doing that… not this time. It's going to be different. I'm going to be by your side the whole time. I'll use whatever time I have in furlough… I'll take personal time… I'm not making that mistake ever again." He kissed her. "I promise you… my family is now my top priority."

"Antonio." Jes sniffled. "I… I…" She leaned on him and cried. "I don't know."

"Shhh… it's going to be fine. It'll be okay." He rubbed her back. "I know it doesn't seem like that now, but it's going to be okay."

"Antonio… what did you do to my sister?" Jay said, coming into the kitchen.

"He… he … he didn't do anything." Jes bawled.

"Then what the hell?" Jay looked to Antonio.

Antonio mouthed. "Hormones."

"Oh…" Jay whispered. He grasped Jes' shoulder. "It's going to be okay, sis… we're all here for you."

"Can you check on the eggs?" Antonio asked. He got up and grabbed a glass of juice for Jes. "Here, drink this… and we'll get some food into you."

Jes took the glass gratefully. "Thank you."

Antonio kissed the top of her head. "It's what family is for." He set about to buttering some toast and pulling the bacon and sausages from the oven. "Speaking of which… where is the rest of my family?"

"Sleeping?" Jay proposed. "We've been running ragged going on two weeks now. It probably caught up with them."

"That or they're getting into something." Antonio pointed out. "I'm gonna go check on them. Was Gaby up when you got up?"

"She wasn't in her bed… if that's what you mean." Jay poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I went for a walk." Gaby came in the kitchen. Her cheeks were red.

"Cold?" Jes asked.

"The wind is… plus I'm not really used to being out in the open as much." Gaby rubbed her hands together. "It's really beautiful here though. The trees were covered in a beautiful frost. I took some pictures and sent them to Matt."

"Where are the kids?" Antonio asked her. "Have you seen them?"

"They were outside with Javi's kids having a snowball fight." Gaby poured some coffee.

"At 8 in the morning?" Antonio finished his coffee and put the rest of the food on the table. "Okay, well, I'm gonna go get them. Can you call Javi and Mami… tell them breakfast is ready?"

Gaby nodded and went to calling them. Antonio went to the back door to tell the kids to come in and eat. He had to duck to avoid being hit by a snowball that was aimed at Eva but hit the door instead. He closed the door and went back to the kitchen, shaking his head.

"What happened?"

"Freddie should be playing ball." Antonio laughed. "He's got a strong arm… I'll have to clean up the window in the back door though… snowball casualty."

Jes laughed. "That's fine. It's good that they're having fun and not dwelling on what happened the last little while." She finished her juice and went to get more.

Jay took the glass and filled it. "Sit, relax… I'm taking that's something you haven't done in a while."

Jes rolled her eyes at him. "What's relaxing?"

"My point exactly." Jay put the last of the plates of food on the table.

The rest of the family came in and they all began to eat. The kids still had a bunch of energy so they were tasked with cleaning the table.

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The adults went to the basement to go through the Christmas decorations so that they could start getting ready for Christmas. Jes thought now would be the best time to explain to everyone how she knew Damien, Meg and Chris. It didn't seem to surprise many people as it had last night.

It was during that time that Jay asked. "If Meg is Dominican, and Damien is a Scot… how do they know French?"

"They learned it with the kids when they were in school. Their French isn't like mine… well, Chris' is because of his time with the Air Force… he was stationed out east for a while."

"Do they know that the majority of us speak Spanish?" Antonio asked.

Jes shrugged. "Not sure. I never said anything… don't think Jacquie did either."

Antonio nodded. He'd ask Jes if she thought Chris might have an issue with her marrying him later. He got the feeling that he was more than a little protective of Jeslyn. He put the boxes that they had decided to use next to the stairs for the kids to bring upstairs. He looked back to Jes. "Hey, babe… do you guys do outside decorations too?"

"People in the country generally don't slow down long enough to admire them… when I was a kid though, my dad always put out this Nativity scene with some angels he'd made that held 'Peace On Earth' between them. I'm pretty sure they're in a shed somewhere… we could find them and put them out."

"Cool." He smiled. While Christmas was a big deal, it hadn't been as important last year because Laura had the kids. He pushed the thoughts away. He didn't have to worry about that anymore. The kids were with him and Jes and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. "Hey! Guys! Come help bring these upstairs and we're gonna start decorating!"

There was a thunder of footsteps running down the stairs. As quickly as the kids appeared, they disappeared and the boxes were all upstairs. Everyone headed upstairs except Jay and Antonio.

"What's up?" Jes asked, slowly getting off the couch she was sitting on.

"Why didn't you tell us who these people really were to you?" Jay asked.

"Because… it's… it's not something that's easy to discuss, you know? Heck, they tried to adopt me take me in after my dad died, but couldn't. Damien was dealing with the PTSD and it made them ineligible. That's why when I came back for university they helped me get in and find a place that was safe… well safe enough."

"Babe, we're not questioning that. We're questioning why you didn't think you couldn't tell us."

Jes heaved a sigh. "Because I didn't want you guys to think I was ungrateful for everything Jay's family did for me or what your family has done for me."

"Jes… come on. We'd never think that." Jay said.

"It's hard… especially since I didn't want you to know about that stuff from before." Jes took a deep breath. "Since we're on the subject of clearing the air on some stuff… Jay, I need to show you something."

Antonio looked to Jay. Jay lifted his arms and mouth. "I don't know."

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* * *

Jes led them to an office just off the main family room. She hit the lights and Antonio and Jay were taken back. The walls and shelves were filled with certificates and trophies of Jes' accomplishments. Jay went into the room and looked at everything. Something particular caught his eye. He walked up to it and turned to Jes. "Am I reading this right?"

Jes stood next to him. "Yeah, you are."

Antonio joined them and examined the certificate that Jay was pointing to it. Then it hit him. The certificate read 'Jeslyn Charlotte Marie Bellamy Halstead'.

"Jes… what… I'm not getting it." Jay looked his sister in the eye.

"After everything that happened after my 16th birthday and the homecoming thing… you had to go… that wasn't your fault, but I didn't have anyone to talk to anymore. My brothers were both gone, and Mom… well she was starting to not feel well… so I had a lot of discussions with her and with Damien and Meg. I never lost contract with them… they… after Dad was killed… they wanted to take me in… bring me home… my own family, my dad's brothers and sisters were too old or weren't able to take me." She paused, looking at a picture of her dad and her. "Damien and Meg wanted to take me, but he was still suffering PTSD after seeing Dad killed. They didn't qualify to take me in… it's why I was perfectly fine being adopted by your family. I never told anyone this… because, well… I didn't want to seem ungrateful for what your family had done for me." She turned to Jay. "Once I talked with Mom about it… we both agreed that I'd move back here, and she'd check on me regularly. So I came back, I finished my high school here, and once the paperwork for the adoption was through… I took on the Halstead name. I went by Halstead here, mainly because… the Bellamy name has a bad rep… thanks to my mom." Antonio and Jay looked at her. "I'll explain that another day." Jes sighed. "When I went back to Chicago… I stopped using Halstead… so I could make my way on my own… without people thinking I was just getting what I did because I was using family connections."

This made perfect sense. Jay's name was well know in Chicago, not just because of his work with the CPD but also because of his time with the Rangers. "Ah."

"Jay, I'm sorry… I should've told you that I actually have been using the Halstead name for the last ten years… just not in Chicago."

"Jes, I love you and you're my sister… I could never be mad at you… well actually… I was a little mad when you didn't tell me you were dating Antonio…"

"Understatement of the year, Jay." Antonio said under his breath.

Jay and Jes chose to ignore him. Jes turned to Jay. "I can go back to using it… I like using it… now that P2K is open…"

"Jes, do what you feel most comfortable with… you've gone by Bellamy for the last seven or eight months, ever since you came home… you want to go by Halstead… I'm fine with it either way." Jay hugged her. "Did I tell you how proud I am of you? Like seriously, look at all this." He pointed to all the medals, trophies and certificates.

"Just so you know, the whole name thing… it's going to be changing again soon enough." Antonio said, and then he listed off all the different certificates, medals and prizes. "Geography. History. Biology. Chem. Agriculture… law, politics… photography… journalism… honestly… what didn't you do?"

"Math and Physics… Math… just no… and then Physics is what happens when Science and Math decide to have a baby… so, hell no!"

They all broke out into a fit of laughter. They chatted a little more about the different accomplishments that Jes had. Antonio picked up a frame picture that he assumed was her high school graduation. She and Jacquie were smiling and laughing.

Jes took the picture. "That was one of the best nights of our lives…" She put the picture back. "I have something to ask both of you."

"Shoot." Jay said pulling out a chair and signaling to Jes to sit.

"I got an email and a voicemail this morning… turns out the news from what's been happening in Chicago the last little while… involving me and P2K… it's made its way up here… and well… our old high school was planning our ten year union for over Spring Break this year, they've decided to move it… to between Christmas and New Year's… they heard Jacquie and I were going to be here… they want us there for some kind of presentation… I want… I'd really like if you both came with me."

"Jes… I can see you taking your fiancé… but why do you want me there?"

"Jay, you weren't there for either of my grads… I think you deserve to be here for this… it would mean a lot to me."

Antonio looked to Jay and mouthed. "Go, for her."

Jay nodded and agreed to go. "But, if I end up being a third wheel… I'm out."

"I think that's a fair trade." Antonio grinned.

"Who knows, maybe there'll be a cute country girl that'll grab my attention." Jay smirked.

"What about Erin?" Jes asked.

Antonio whispered in her ear. "That one has one too many daddy issues."

Jay glared at Antonio. "I heard that… it's just… constantly this on again, off again thing we're doing."

"Well, big brother… if you think hooking up with one of the bimbos Jacquie and I went to school with is a good idea, I'm taking Antonio's gun or one of my rifles and shooting you. Those girls are not who you want anything to do with… the stories I could tell you… yikes!"

"Okay. Fine, I won't try to hook up with anyone."

"Good plan, you have no idea was diseases those tramps could be carrying." Jes laughed.

"Tramps? They were that bad… in a Catholic school?" Antonio asked.

"We're a small town with not a lot to do… sex was one of the main activities at parties… so yeah... tramps is the best term I can use to describe them." Jes sighed. "Also, I was wondering… if we could start wedding planning… soon."

"Babe, I've been waiting for you to bring it up." Antonio smiled. "Whenever you want to, we'll plan. I just want to be married to you."

"Good, because I don't want a long engagement." Jes pulled him to her to kiss him.

The discussion of wedding stuff was cut short as Diego was yelling from the top of the stairs. "Dad! We need you to help with the tree!"

Antonio sighed. "Duty calls. You guys talk a little bit… I think you have some catching up to do." He was looking at Jay directly when he said that.

"Deal." Jay pulled out another chair. "So, uh… did you call Will, tell him about you being engaged?"

Jes shot him a glare. "No. He basically wanted nothing to do with me after your guys' mom died…"

"She was your mom too, Jes."

"I know, but sometimes… I think Will thinks your mom shouldn't have taken me in."

"Well… he knows about the engagement… because I called him."

"Jay!" Jes exclaimed. "I didn't want him… why?"

"Because, despite the animosity between the two of you concerning Mom, and when I was overseas… he's still your brother too. He cares… actually… he's planning on coming to Chicago in the next few months for a visit… he'd like to see you, and try and fix things. That and… he and I both want to offer you something for the wedding."

"Jay, Antonio and I haven't even set a date… it's what we want to talk about."

"We want to pay for your dress, Jes." Jay said.

Jes was completely taken back. "What?"

"Well, you'll decide who walks you up the aisle and everything when the time comes, but… the dress… that's something normally that parents pay for, but… in your case, we… your brothers want to pay for it."

Jes' jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

Jay nodded. "Yes. I know that it's early, but if you're not wanting a long engagement, maybe we should think about getting one… soon."

"You're right… but you're also not the only person who offered to pay."

Jay cocked his head to the side. "Who else?"

"Damien… he offered it to me last night before he headed out."

"Jes… I only want you to be happy."

"I told him that… as much as I appreciated it… that he should save that money for when Jacquie get married."

"So, what exactly are you saying?" Jay questioned.

"I'm saying I was originally just buy my dress on my own… but if you and Will are wanting to pay for it… I won't argue. You've been there for me since I got to Chicago and you're the only one who seemed to care… I'm really touched that you… you want to do this." She was getting emotional. "Damn hormones."

"I think it's more than just hormones. Getting married… it's a big deal." Jay took her hand. "I just want my little sister to be happy."

"I am. I'm really happy… and I guess you're right, we should maybe look into it…"

"We can when we get back to Chicago. There's time."

"Actually, I'd like to shop here… maybe… could you call Will? Ask him to come join us… we can go shopping with him, and once Jacquie's here… since she's my maid of honour. If you're paying… you get a say in what it looks like."

"I can do that… though," He looked at his watch. "We should go help them with decorations… and we'll call Will later tonight."

"Sounds good." Jes got up and hugged him. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime."

The house was looking festive by the time Jes and Jay joined the rest of the family. Jes asked Gaby to help prepare a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon flew by. Emmanuel insisted on taking the entire group out for dinner and asked Jes to pick somewhere to eat.

"Why me?" She asked.

"Because, you know what's good to eat." Antonio hugged her. "It'll be fun."

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* * *

 **December 21…**

Jes and Antonio drove Damien and Meg to the airport, after much protestation. On the way back from the airport, Antonio asked. "So… the wedding… do you want it before or after the baby is born?"

Jes had thought about it. "I'd prefer before, but I'm not sure how fast we want to move. Umm… I've always wanted a Church wedding… that requires at least 6 months before the wedding to do marriage prep and stuff like that…"

"I understand. It's up to you. If it were up to me, I'd marry you today… and have a big celebration after."

"That is very tempting." Jes laughed. "Are you okay with a Church wedding?"

"Yeah… I wanted one when Laura and I… but she was against it… so we didn't."

"To get married in the Church, you'll need her death certificate to allow the Church to marry us."

"I have it. I had an inkling that you wanted a Church wedding… I asked Father at St. Mary's about it… he told me what we'd need to get married in the Church."

"Just how long have you been planning this?"

"Since Jay found out about us."

"Wow! I'm … wow!"

"I love you Jes… I've loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you." He took her hand. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and our children."

"Then, let's aim for June or July…"

"Are you sure you want to be that far along?" Antonio didn't want to push anything.

"I would prefer a fall wedding, but a newborn and breastfeeding… that could be a challenge."

"Jes, I just want you to be happy. This is your dream wedding… and I'm not planning on going through this a third time. Marriage is supposed to be forever… and I plan on having it that way."

"Okay… what would you prefer? Because I personally don't care if I'm six or seven months pregnant and people think that's the only reason we're getting married or we can wait til after baby comes. Either way, they're going to be in the wedding pictures."

"You have a point. Would you be comfortable in August?"

"I'd be about 8 months along… maybe…"

"Maybe before we set a date, we should get more information on our little one?" Antonio suggested.

"I called Dr. Mayo's clinic… they got us in for this afternoon."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Now." Jes laughed. "Actually, we could head there now… and finish picking a date after we have more of an idea of when our little one is going to be here."

"Sounds good."

Jes changed lanes and headed towards the doctor's office.

* * *

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* * *

"Jeslyn, Dr. Mayo will see you now." A kind-faced nurse approached them. "If you'll follow me."

Antonio took Jes' hand and together they followed the nurse to an examining room. The nurse handed her a gown and left them to change. Antonio helped Jes change into the gown and then helped her onto the examining table. He held her hand and they waited anxiously.

It didn't take long before an older doctor came into the room. "Jeslyn. It's been a long time."

Jes smiled. "Yeah. I know it has… a lot has changed."

Dr. Mayo laughed. "I can see. I hear there's quite a bit of congratulations to go around. A wedding and a baby?"

Jes nodded. "Uh… yes… this is Antonio… he's my fiancé and the father of the baby."

"Congratulations to you both. I received your file from Chicago Med… you've been through quite a bit lately."

Antonio squeezed Jes' hand. "She has… and she's strong and she's gotten through it."

"I know… she's one tough cookie. How are the ribs and the arm?" Dr. Mayo was flipping through the chart.

"I'm not really in much pain… the arm is a drag… I feel useless with it." Jes replied. "Would the x-rays they took when this happened, hurt the baby?"

Dr. Mayo shook his head. "I highly doubt it. It wasn't an overabundance of exposure… so we will keep an eye on the pregnancy… Don't worry… okay… just like last time…. You're young… you're healthy…"

"Last time?" Antonio asked.

"Dr. Mayo was my doctor when I was pregnant… before I lost the baby."

Antonio nodded.

"He does know about all of that?" Dr. Mayo inquired.

Jes nodded. "He found out before we were even actually a couple… I started having nightmares again."

"Have you had any since?"

"She had one the night we were flying up here, but it was 'bout the more recent incident." Antonio answered.

"Okay, well… let's get some measurements and see just how far along you are." Dr. Mayo pulled the ultrasound towards the bed and lifted Jes' gown. "This may be a little chilly."

Antonio asked. "Is there a chance that they didn't estimate right when she first found out she was pregnant?"

Dr. Mayo nodded. "I noticed that she wasn't seen by an OB/GYN before she left the hospital. While ER docs or surgeons can diagnose pregnancies, they're not specialized in dating it. Dr. Willhite's notes estimate 4-5 weeks, but he could be off as he's not an OB. That's perfectly fine. You're here now, we'll get all that information you need, and you'll be able to proceed from there." He turned to look at the screen. He adjusted some knobs and pushed a few buttons. "Okay. So Dr. Willhite's estimate was a little off… I'd say you're actually closer to 8 or 9 weeks. I'll check your hormone levels too, that's usually a really good tell in how far along you are, but with the measurements I'm seeing… I'd say you're a little more than two months along." He put the ultrasound wand down and wiped Jes' belly. "Do you want a copy of the ultrasound?"

Jes nodded. "We're planning on telling everyone New Year's Eve. Are we going to be okay… since we won't be past the 12 week mark yet?"

"I'd say so. From what I'm seeing and what I'm reading in your chart… I don't see why not. I wouldn't go posting it on Facebook, but telling your family… yes. Can you tell me when your last period was?"

Jes thought back. She couldn't remember. "Babe, can you hand me my phone. I have an app now for it… especially since it's been really irregular since… since the accident."

Dr. Mayo nodded sympathetically. "Take your time. I'm just filling in the chart. I'm taking you don't have an OB in Chicago yet?"

Antonio shook his head. "My sister recommended hers, but we never got the chance to look into it. Is there someone you could maybe recommend?"

"Yes… my brother… the same doctor that delivered Jeslyn 26 years ago."

"He's still practicing?" Antonio asked, in shock.

"Oh, yes… He was new in the profession when Jeslyn was born. I'm certain if I send him your file and a referral, that he'll take you on."

Jes nodded. "I'd like that. Someone who knows me and you trust… I'm okay with that… Antonio?"

"I'm good with whatever you want, my love."

"Then it's settled. Once we have this all done, I'll send over the files and get it all lined up."

"Perfect." Jes handed him her phone. "Here's my last cycle and it also tracks when we were intimate in that time period."

Dr. Mayo took the information and transcribed it into Jes' chart. "I'd say that you're most likely looking at a late June, early July delivery."

"Okay, so I won't be huge during the hottest months in the summer." Jes was relieved. She really wasn't looking forward to being 8 or 9 months pregnant in the hottest months of the year.

"That's right. I'd say a due date of July 1. Now, I understand you're going to be going back to Chicago in about a month or so?"

"That's right." Antonio took Jes' hand.

"I'd recommend you make an appointment to be seen upon your return, and then you can make a plan of how you want to proceed with this pregnancy. Has there been any morning sickness… or other symptoms?"

Jes groaned. "It's not morning sickness… it's in the late evening/bedtime sickness."

"Ah, yes… the nausea and vomiting can happen at any time."

"Dr. Willhite prescribed her an anti-nauseant for pregnant women." Antonio mentioned.

"I see that. I recommend getting it filled and only using it if you are nauseated. It's not really recommended for extended use."

"Okay, I can live with that." Jes smiled.

"I have to ask Jeslyn, when you booked this appointment, you went by Bellamy… did you drop Halstead?" Dr. Mayo continued to fill her chart.

Jes explained the situation with her last name as she had explained it to Jay and Antonio the day before.

"I see, on your medical record here, your legal name is still Halstead… is this going to change?"

Jes shook her head. "No, it'll be Halstead there too. I just didn't use Halstead when I was getting the Youth Centre off the ground. I wanted to get it going based on my skills and merit rather than because my brother is a decorated Army Ranger and a valued member of the CPD."

"Totally understandable. Now we have to update family records and emergency contacts."

Jes rattled off their home address in Chicago, as well as the address of the farm for reference. She put that Antonio was the main emergency contact, followed by Jay then Gaby. She also mentioned Jacquie and the information for P2K.

"Okay. Now, Mr. Dawson…"

"Antonio, please." Antonio insisted.

"Antonio… do you have other children?"

Antonio nodded. "I have two other children from my first marriage… my ex… was murdered at the same time as the incident with Jes. Eva just turned 14 and Diego is going to be 10 in February. Jes… Jes actually just adopted them before we left."

"Well, you are both going to have your hands full." Dr. Mayo closed the file and shook their hands. "Unless you have any other questions, I think we're good to go and that you'll be able to work this out. I don't see any problems with this pregnancy and you'll be in good hands when you get back to Chicago."

"Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice." Antonio thanked him.

"Any time… and please, when the little one arrives, I'd love to see a picture or two."

"Definitely." Jes smiled. "Thank you so much."

With that, Dr. Mayo took his leave to send off Jes' file and Antonio went about helping Jes change back into her clothes. When they left the office, the medical assistant handed them a file with a copy of her chart to bring with them in case the digital file wasn't enough for when they got back to Chicago, as well an envelope with the ultrasound pictures and the other Dr. Mayo's contact information and a date for an appointment in early February. They thanked her and headed back to their vehicle.

* * *

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* * *

On the way home, they continued to talk about the wedding plans.

"So before or after?" Antonio asked.

"I think it's safe to say, after. We might as well wait until he or she arrives and get married in early fall."

"Okay… so maybe over the Labour Day weekend?" Antonio suggested.

"Don't you guys have a big football thing that happens?" Jes asked.

"I really don't care about football that much that I have to put off marrying you."

"Well, September 4 was my dad's birthday and is his parent's wedding anniversary… I think that would work… and it's a Saturday this year."

"Okay. I think we have our date then."

Jes grinned. "We do. September 4. Now… where to get married?"

"I thought you said church?"

"I did… but Church in Chicago or Church in my hometown?"

"Would you want to get married here?" Antonio asked.

"My dream wedding was here in our Church… then a reception at the hall that's just out in the country… I've always dreamed of pictures in fields of grain and sunset…"

Antonio smiled. "That sounds perfect to me."

"Really?"

Antonio nodded. "Of course! Jes… I want it to be the day you've always dreamed of."

"What about your family coming here again and stuff like that? Your co-workers?"

"We'll figure it out. If we have to, we'll broadcast the whole thing via Skype."

Jes laughed. "Skype? Really?"

"Why not? It's free." Antonio laughed along with her.

"Well, let's talk to Jay tonight… he and my other brother, Will… are insisting on paying for parts of it… to be the parental role for me."

Antonio took her hand and squeezed it. "Whatever needs to be done for you to be my wife, and for us to live our lives together with our children… I'll do whatever it takes."

"I love you, Antonio."

"I love you, Jes… you and our children… you guys are my world."

Jes' phone dinged. "Can you check what that's about?"

Antonio took the phone and said. "It's from Chris." He wasn't exactly thrilled that Chris was texting her, but he couldn't control who she was friends with. "He says there's a hockey game tonight in town and maybe you'd like to go."

"You a big hockey fan?"

"Decent… I've never really watched kids play though… it's usually the Blackhawks."

"Oh, sweetie… Kids playing is better than the NHL any day. They usually play for the love of the game… not a big fat paycheque."

"Are you asking me to join you and Chris?" He asked, a little harsher than he'd meant to.

"Antonio, I love you… I'm marrying you… you don't have to worry about Chris."

"He doesn't like me."

Jes didn't know what to say to that. "Look, let's take the kids and Gaby and Jay… it'll be fun."

"If he gets handsy on you or pushes me the wrong way, I won't be held responsible for what happens."

"I can live with that. I just… I'd like to see a game again… I used to go all the time with my dad before we moved to Ottawa."

"Then we'll go."

"Antonio, are you worried about Chris?" Jes asked. "Answer me… honestly please."

"I am… he was willing to marry you almost seven years ago because you were pregnant, now you're engaged to me… carrying my baby… and he has an issue with it."

"Antonio… sweetie… I love you; only you and I don't plan on anything with him. If he's going to have a problem with it, then it's his problem."

"I believe you, Jes… I just don't trust him." Antonio sighed. "I'm sorry, Jes… I didn't think I'd be the jealous type, but… I…"

"Antonio, I get it." Jes smiled reassuringly. "I just think we should get some supper and head to the game."

* * *

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* * *

Javier insisted on having a night out with Victoria while Emmanuel and Constanza just wanted to stay in and relax. So, Jes and Antonio brought all five children, Jay and Gaby along to the hockey game. They took two vehicles and headed out to the arena that was in town. When they got there, they struggled to find some parking and ended up about a block away.

"I didn't realize hockey was such a big thing in small towns." Gaby said.

"Tia, it's Canada… hockey is like a religion." Diego replied. "I read that when I was like in the first grade."

"Diego has a point." Jes pointed out, putting her arm through Antonio's. "Hockey in small towns in Canada is like don't call, don't text… it's basically another church."

"Interesting concept." Jay said. He held the arena door open and let everyone in. They paid their admission fee, which was going, towards the town getting a new arena. They headed inside, Jes leading the way.

Jes saw Chris with a few of his buddies that she recognized from when they were younger. She waved and he waved them over. Antonio was watching and he saw Chris' face change when he realized that Jes hadn't come alone. He was wishing he could just lay him out right there. He stayed close to Jes. He wasn't letting anyone get between him and the woman he loved.

"Hey, Jes." Chris greeted her warmly. "I didn't realize you were going to be bringing a crowd."

"Chris." Jes said with a hint of 'enough' in her voice. "This is my family now… we're on holidays as a family… so we'll come see a hockey game as a family. If that's not good for you… we'll sit somewhere else."

Antonio was proud of her. She hadn't been lying when she said that she would be able to handle herself with Chris. Antonio put on a smile and extended his hand. "It's nice to see you again. Jes was really happy to get your text. She said we just had to see a youth league hockey game. That they're better than any NHL game."

Chris shook his hand firmly. "She's right on that one. Well, come on… the game's about to start." He showed them the chunk seating that was in their section.

Antonio sat on one side of Jes, holding her hand. Chris sat on the other side of her. Antonio had told Jay about his suspicions, so Jay sat in front of them while Gaby and the kids sat behind them for the best view of the game.

They cheered and shouted as the first period started slowly but soon gained pace as the hometown team scored two goals. The second period became a little more exciting as a couple of fights broke out.

Antonio asked Jes. "I didn't think they allowed fighting and hits in this league?"

Jes leaned in and answered. "This is the Juniors. They're between 16 and 20… they're allowed to be more physical than the Atom or Bantam levels."

"Oh. Interesting." Antonio said before cheering loudly as the home team got another goal.

Jes smiled. It had been so long since she'd been able to do this, to truly enjoy life.

While the Zamboni passed during between the second and third periods, Antonio went to get them some hot chocolate. He was walking past a group of guys when he heard Chris' voice amongst them. He was speaking in Spanish, but that didn't stop Antonio from hearing what was being said. He stopped at the condiment counter to add some marshmallows to the hot chocolate. He kept his face away and listened in. Thankful that something Hank Voight had taught him was finally coming in handy.

"So, this guy she's with… the older one… he's the one she's marrying?" One asked.

Chris answered. "Yeah. That's what she's saying. I don't trust the guy."

"Why not?" Another one asked. "Isn't he a cop in the same department as her brother?"

"That doesn't mean shit." Chris spat. "I've researched that unit. It's run by a corrupt cop who was still pretending to be dirty. The guy she's with… his ex-wife left him… because he was too committed to the job… he's got two kids with that woman… then his boss had those kids yanked from their mother and forced them on Jes… then she got killed… supposedly by the Cartel but who really knows. What if it was all some ploy? Now she's pregnant with his kid… I'm beyond pissed with this situation."

Antonio had to fight the urge to punch him. He let him keep talking. He wished he had his phone with him, because he'd record this whole thing and he'd play it for Jes with Gaby there to translate it.

"Why?" The first guy asked him. "You honestly want those damaged goods? Come on, Chris… she's been raped twice… she's got another man's kid growing in her… what are you? A glutton for punishment?"

Antonio couldn't take them talking like that about Jes, so he grabbed the hot chocolates and went back to their seats. He'd deal with Chris and his attitude problem later, preferably when Jes wasn't around. "Here, babe."

"Thanks." Jes took a sip. "Mmm. That's good." She saw the look in his eyes. "Antonio, what's wrong?"

Jay turned around and saw that same look. The look he'd seen when Diego had been taken or in any case involving kids. Something was being taking very personally. "Bro, what's up?"

Antonio saw Chris and his friends approaching, fake smiles pasted to their faces. "I'll tell you when we get back to the farm."

The third period involved a few more fights, a player getting kicked out and the game ending with a score of 5-4, with the home team getting the last goal right as the buzzer went off to signal the end of the game. After the majority of the crowd left, Antonio helped Jes up and they headed to the doors. Chris ran after them.

"Hey! I hope you enjoyed the game."

Jes smiled. "It was pretty awesome… things haven't changed since you played… still a blood bath against them."

"Yeah, I think that's how rivalries work." Chris shot a dirty look to Antonio.

"Loco, tú quieres que nos echemos pa'un lado y discutamos de verdad cómo es la vaina de las rivalidades?" Antonio snarled, stepping in front of Jes.

Jay took Jes' arm and pulled her back with the kids. Gaby stepped forward and put her hands on Antonio's chest. "Antonio! Para!"

Chris took a step back. "You… you speak Spanish."

Gaby covered Antonio's mouth. "Somos Dominicanos."

"Fuck!" Chris spun on his heel and fled the arena.

Gaby grabbed Antonio by the arm. "Quítate! Ya!" She was livid. They didn't need to be making a scene. Jes had already warned them that things here were hard enough for her, they didn't need to make it worse.

Jay had no clue what was being said but he took Jes' arm and looked to the kids. "Okay, to the cars. Let's go. We'll figure this all out at home." He knew, however, that the kids all knew what had been said. Only he and Jes were left in the dark, but he was damn sure that he was going to be getting an answer out Antonio tonight, one way or another.

* * *

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* * *

"Tia…" Diego asked. "What was that all about?"

Gaby sighed. She was wishing that Antonio had taken his kids with him instead of Jay, leaving her with all five kids. "I don't know, Diego… buddy… I wish I did know but what ever that was…it's between your parents, Jay and that Chris guy right now."

Diego slumped back into the seat. "I think that he's jealous that Mom is with Dad."

"I agree." Freddie said.

"Okay… okay. Enough comments from the peanut gallery." Gaby sighed. "None of this gets told to Javi, Victoria or your grandparents."

"We promise, Tia." Eva turned back and shot her brother and cousins a look of "You better keep your mouths shut, or else."

A chorus of "We promise." Came from the back seats.

"Good." Gaby turned on the radio. She was very curious what was going on with Jay, Antonio and Jes. Whatever was going on, it was deep under Antonio's skin.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"Antonio… can you… what the hell was that?" Jes had been forced to sit in the front passenger seat while Jay drove.

Antonio was in the back seat pounding his head on the side window.

"Hey! 'Tonio… stop!" Jay demanded. He was focused on getting them home in one piece so they could talk about whatever the hell had just happened. "We're going to talk when we get home. The only two people who have no idea about what the fuck just happened with Chris are Jes and me… why… because no hablo español."

"Jay." Antonio was furious. "You… no."

"Antonio, if you don't want to talk to Jay… you have to talk to me. We swore no secrets." Jes reached back and touched his knee.

"Jeslyn, baby… I… I'm not here to ruin friendships."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" Jes was very lost with where Antonio was with this train of thought.

"Jes, we're like a minute away." Jay turned onto the country road leading to the farm. "I don't think we should be discussing this in a moving vehicle on an icy back road."

"I'm going to get an answer… tonight… and if you won't… I'll get Gaby to come with me and translate and I'm confronting Chris. You choose." Jes turned around, crossing her arms across her chest.

Jay knew that attitude. "Antonio… I suggest that you do what she's asking… I know that posture… that tone… It's not good. She means what she says. It's that determination of hers."

Antonio sighed. "I know. She's used that tone on me before."

Jay groaned. It was going to be a long night. He turned into Jes' driveway and prayed that the kids weren't going to push for answers and that Gaby had managed to keep them distracted. He parked the Jeep and got out. He watched as the kids all headed to the guesthouse and Gaby walked towards them. "What are the kids doing?"

"I convinced them to go play games while we talked about what happened. They've also been told none of this gets told to their grandparents or Javi and Victoria."

"Well that's a relief." Jay turned to Antonio and Jes. "Inside… we're going to talk about this. Now."

Jes nodded and went in. Antonio turned to Gaby and she simply pointed to the door. He knew he wasn't going to get out of explaining what had happened but he also knew that he may just piss Jes off enough to kick him out or worse, tell him to take a hike for good. He wasn't in the position of ruining long-standing friendships. He took off his boots and locked the door. He didn't need any interruptions tonight. Antonio headed up the stairs that led to the main floor and sat at the table where the others waited.

"Start from the beginning." Gaby said. She was between Jes and Antonio.

Antonio knew it was best. He took a deep breath and explained everything.

* * *

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* * *

"Wait… so that's why you were so angry when you came back from the concession stand?" Jes was horrified by what she was hearing.

"Yes. I figured they didn't see me, or they didn't know that I spoke Spanish. Either way… what they were saying about you… Jes, baby… I wanted to kill him right there." Antonio laid his head on the table. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to say anything until… until his friends said what they did… I can't just stand by and listen to them say such cruel things… things they don't understand. I don't care what they say about me or Intelligence, but you… the kids… I won't stand for that shit being said about my family."

Jes got up from her chair and knelt by Antonio. "Antonio… Antonio, look at me… please."

Antonio lifted his head. Jes' jaw dropped when she saw the tears in his eyes. "Jes, I'm sorry."

"Antonio… you… you can't be sorry." Jes wiped away the tears. "You did that because you care about me… our family… I… I've know Chris almost my whole life… I… I wouldn't think him to be capable of this… but Jacquie sent me a text… a little late… telling me that he's not exactly thrilled with my life choices."

"What?" Antonio pulled her into his lap.

Jes pulled up the chain of messages on her phone and showed him. He read them and Jacquie was on the same page as them. He handed the phone to Jay.

"So what do we do?" Jay asked. "And if either of you tells me that it's not my problem… I'll deal with this prick myself… don't care if he's Jacquie's big brother or not."

"We can't do anything yet." Jes answered. "He's RCMP… we can't just go all Voight on his ass."

Antonio couldn't help but laugh. "I think you've spent too much time with us already."

"Look, I think we should all talk to him… the three of us… and Gaby can be there to make sure that nobody gets killed… but Jacquie has asked me that we wait until she gets here… they moved their flight up… they'll be coming in Boxing Day."

Jay looked to his sister. "Will arrives Christmas Eve in the late morning."

"This is going to be a big mess if everyone's involved." Jes pointed out.

"Jes," Gaby stood up. "I don't think Chris realized what can of worms he opened by saying what he did. I think even his sister is pissed with him." She handed Jes her phone back.

"Oh boy." Jes put her phone away. "Okay… I'm… I'm going to ignore him… and pray that we can make it through Christmas morning without blood shed."

* * *

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* * *

 **Christmas Eve…**

Jes had been dealing with morning sickness since 5 that morning. It was now noon. She was lying on the couch watch Antonio wrap presents. The kids had gone with Jay and Gaby to the guesthouse to start preparing Réveillon with a list of Jes' very specific instructions. She had had an interesting time explaining what it was to everyone. After they understood it had been a tradition for Jes' family for years, they gladly accepted. Jay was due to leave for the airport to pick Will up. His flight had been delayed because of snow in New York. He was set to arrive around 2. It gave them plenty of time to settle him in and get ready for Mass. It hadn't taken much convincing to get everyone to agree to attend Midnight Mass. Jes took a sip of the gingerale that Antonio had brought her to help with the nausea.

"Baby, how's the nausea?" Antonio asked as he put another present under the tree.

"It's fine. A little better now that the meds are kicking in." Jes rubbed her belly. "I wonder how long before I start to show."

"Most women don't show until the 4th or 5th month… but every pregnancy is different." Antonio was writing something on a tag. "So… how did gift giving work in your family when you were a kid?"

Jes sat up on the couch. "We opened our stockings after Midnight Mass, during the Réveillon… then when I still believed in the Man In Red… we'd open the presents under the tree the next morning… once I was older, we'd open everything during Réveillon. Do the kids still believe in Jolly Old St. Nick?"

"Mine grew out of it, but I'm not sure about Javi's kids. I guess I should ask." Antonio called his brother and after a very quick conversation, got his answer. "I guess Maria found out from someone at school… so we're safe to do the other tradition… until the little one shows up for next Christmas."

"Okay. That works."

 _ **DING DONG!**_

Antonio jumped. "What the hell was that?"

Jes snickered. "This old house is soundproof. My dad… back when we still lived here… he installed this sensor system in the driveway to tell us when people were coming in or out."

"Is that why you asked for batteries today?"

Jes nodded. "I needed to replace the batteries in the speaker in the house."

"Ah." Antonio grinned. "So that noise…"

"Is telling us that Jay and Will are here." Jes slowly got off the couch. "Uh… I haven't seen Will since… since their… our mom got really sick."

"It's been a while then."

Jes sighed. "Yeah. He and I didn't really part on the best of terms… but Jay told him I'm getting married… so…"

"Does he know about the baby?"

"No. The only ones who know are the ones we've told and on top of it, they're going to be finding out soon enough. It's only a week away."

"I know." Antonio hugged her and put his hand on her belly. "I'm just… I'm so excited."

"I know. Let's go meet them… before we spill the beans because they walk in." Jes headed to the door to greet her brothers. She opened the door, taking a deep breath. Jay had said Will wanted to be a part of her life again, so she was praying that he wasn't bullshitting her. "Hey guys."

Jay stepped in. "The roads are good, but it's starting to snow a little bit… and I bring our big brother."

Will was standing on the porch. He smiled. "Hey Jes… it's been a while."

Jes smiled. "How was your flight?" She asked as Will walked in the house.

"It was a little bumpy but I've flown in worse." He hugged Jes. "You're looking good… minus the cast… those things are never attractive."

"Jay told you everything?"

"He filled in the blanks on what I didn't already hear on the news… I hear you're almost an International star."

"Ugh… don't remind me." Jes groaned. "Come upstairs… there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Will and Jay followed her into the kitchen. "Will, I'd like you to meet Antonio Dawson… my fiancé." Jes introduced him as she put her arm around him.

"You're the one that works with Jay?" Will asked, putting his carry-on on the floor.

"Yeah. If you wanna punch me, you can… he already did." Antonio smiled.

"He was the boxer… I'm the one who fixed him up after the fights." Will extended his hand. "Jay said you're the best person to be with Jes… I won't question it. Congrats and Merry Christmas."

Antonio shook his hand. "Same to you. Uh, so Jay will show you where you'll be sleeping… and then I guess we should start thinking about a light supper before Midnight Mass."

"You still go to that?" Will asked Jes.

"Well, it's actually at 10 but yeah. I think after everything that we've been through… I think we should go."

"I'm game." Will kissed her cheek. "I'll be back to help prep supper."

* * *

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* * *

They whole convoy, as Diego had called it, took off for town early to guarantee parking and to find a place where they could all sit together for Mass. They were lucky to be some of the first ones to arrive.

Father Martin greeted them when they walked in. "Jeslyn." He hugged her. "It's been a while."

Jes nodded. "I know. I didn't really tell anyone I was moving away again."

"Ah. I see."

"You've seen the news I take it?"

The priest nodded. "I did… I wasn't sure that it was really you because you were using a different last name."

Jes gave the quick explanation. "I'm here… to recover and to uh, spend some time with my new family." Jes pointed to Antonio. "This is my fiancé, Antonio… our children, Diego and Eva…"

"Our?"

"Jes adopted them… after my ex-wife passed away." Antonio shook Father Martin's hand.

"My condolences and congratulations at the same time… Welcome. I hope you will have a blessed Christmas here and I hope the recovery goes well."

Jes introduced the others. Javier and Victoria led the group to the front of the Church.

Father Martin asked. "Eva? We have a tradition here where a young lady carries the statue of baby Jesus to the Nativity scene at the beginning of Mass. Would you be willing to do that tonight?"

Eva turned to Jes and Antonio who nodded. "Sure. I'd like that."

"Good, good. If you'd like you can stay here and after you put baby Jesus in the manger, you can go and sit with your family."

"Thank you." Eva took a seat in the chair that Father Martin motioned to for her to wait in.

Father Martin turned to Jes. "Do you still read at Mass?"

"I did before I moved, but not since I've been in Chicago… we go to Mass… I just haven't signed up for the ministries."

"I'm down a French reader for tonight."

"Are you asking?" Jes smiled.

"I am. You're one of the best. It would be good, for you… for your family."

"Sure." Jes smiled. She turned to Antonio. "Go sit with my brothers and Diego… I'll be sitting up front."

"You gonna be okay?" Antonio whispered.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." She kissed his cheek. "Go, Mass is going to start."

Antonio took Diego's hand and headed to join their family.

Father Martin turned to Jes. "Does the family know?"

"Father?"

"You're glowing… you're expecting."

"Father…"

"I've known you most of your life. I can see it."

Jes blushed. "Yes, some of them know… the others we're telling New Year's Eve. Antonio and I are going to wait until after it's born to get married."

"I don't judge. I just am so happy to see you happy."

"Thank you." She froze as the antique pipe organ began to play the opening notes to 'O Holy Night'. "I guess it's time to get into position."

Mass began and Jes felt at peace. It had been so long that she could say she was happy for the holidays. To be here with her family, with everything that had happened, it was home.

Antonio watched the procession. The symbolism was incredible. He listened to the different songs as they played. He was in awe that the songs weren't just in English, but French, German, Latin and even Spanish. He watched as Jes read the second reading in French. He knew she was fluently bilingual, but he'd never heard her actually speak it in the time they'd been together. Her voice was beautiful in English, but hearing her in her mother tongue was almost angelic. As Mass ended, 'Joy to the World' thundered in the historic church. It was then that Antonio knew why Jes wanted to get married here.

The parishioners left but Antonio and family stayed to admire the architecture of the church and the beauty of the Christmas decorations. Jes joined them. "Everything okay?" She asked.

"It's beautiful here." Constanza was just in awe.

"It is." Jes hugged her future mother-in-law. "I'm really glad you were here to celebrate with us."

"I wouldn't miss this, hija. Never. You read beautifully."

Jes' cheeks burned. "Thank you."

Antonio leaned in and kissed her. "I see why you want to have it here." He whispered.

"Are you okay with it?" She whispered back.

"Definitely. Well, let's go wish Father Martin a Merry Christmas, and we'll go home for our celebration."

Once everyone else had wished him well, they headed back to the farm. Jes, Antonio and the kids stayed behind. They wanted to talk to Father Martin about the wedding.

"Father." Jes asked.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Antonio and I would like to get married here… in this Church…"

"When are you looking at?"

"September 4."

Father Martin pulled out his phone and checked the Church's booking schedule. "The 4th is wide open. What time would you like it, 1 or 3 in the afternoon."

"Uh…" Antonio hadn't thought that far ahead.

However, Jes had. "3. It gives more time to get ready and less time to waste between the ceremony and the reception."

Father Martin typed the booking in. "A full Mass or just the wedding portion?"

"A full Mass, please." Antonio asked. "If possible."

"You'll need a marriage prep course… which we actually have one next month, if you'd like to participate… and because you've previously been married… we will need either a certificate of annulment or your ex-wife's death certificate."

"Oh, yes. Of course. We have that." Antonio said. "I had inquired at our church in Chicago of what would be needed, before I asked her to marry me."

"Good. Very good." Father Martin smiled. "And… will you also want to be doing the baptism course?"

"I think we'll be doing it in Chicago… but we haven't really talked about that part yet… since we're not out of the 3 month danger zone."

"Oh, I understand… when you know, let me know… we're always here for you." Father Martin hugged her. "Go, be with your family and Merry Christmas."

* * *

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* * *

They arrived home and ate and laughed. They were celebrating until the wee hours of the morning. They began opening gifts around two in the morning, with 'It's A Wonderful Life' playing in the background. They were just finishing as the movie finished. The kids were exhausted and had fallen asleep on the couches and Diego has fallen asleep right next to the tree.

"Don't move them." Jes whispered. "We'll throw some blankets on them. They'll be fine here."

They covered the children with blankets and turned off the lights. Just as they went to turn off the TV, the famous line came through. "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." They turned off the TV and went to their rooms. Church bells began to ring out in the distance announcing the arrival of Christmas morning. It was certainly a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: I know it's totally weird to be writing Christmas when Easter is literally in a couple weeks, but it's what fits with the timeline. A little drama, a little romance, a little fluff… why not? It's all part of a good story. Let me know what you think! Love always!**_


	23. We Own The Night

**December 26…**

Jes woke up nauseated and ran to the bathroom. After about 30 minutes, she leaned back against the wall. "I know this is supposed to be normal, but this is nuts." She mumbled to herself. She looked at the clock. It was 5:30 in the morning. Part of her wanted to crawl back into bed and try to get more sleep, but the other part knew it was going to be a useless endeavor. She rinsed her mouth and headed downstairs. She knew Antonio was sound asleep and she wasn't about to wake him. He needed his sleep. He hadn't slept properly since that night at the arena. She couldn't wait for Jacquie to get in. She checked her phone. "Another 6 hours."

"Another 6 hours to what?" Will's voice made her jump.

"Will, what are you doing up?"

"Uh, jet lag… plus New York is two hours ahead of here… I'm usually up and at work by this time."

"Ah… you want me to make you some coffee?"

"I think I know how to work a coffee pot." Will put his arm around her. "What are you doing up so early? You feeling okay?"

Jes nodded weakly. "Yeah. Why?"

"You're flushed… you look worn out… everything okay?" He pulled out a chair. "And don't think you can lie to me, sis… I am a doctor."

"Uh… look… Will…"

"Is Antonio treating you right?"

"It's nothing like that!" Jes exclaimed, a little louder than she'd meant to.

"Jes? Will?" Jay yawned as he came into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Jay… didn't mean to wake you." Jes apologized.

"I was getting up anyhow… it's 6:30 in Chicago… normally, I'd be at the gym right now."

"Time change is a bitch." Jes groaned.

"So, Jay…" Will turned to Jay. "Our little sister is hiding something… and I'd like you to help me get out the information."

"About what?" Jay looked to Jes. She shook her head.

"She's flushed… she doesn't look like she's sleeping well… care to share your two bits on this."

"She's been through hell, Will… in the last two weeks… seriously?" Jay wasn't about to blab that she was pregnant. They wanted to wait, and he wasn't going to ruin their plan.

"Jay, are you honestly going to tell me that you haven't noticed something's up with her?" Will asked.

"Will, you do know I'm right here?" Jes tapped her fingers on the table. "I'm fine… seriously!" She was praying Antonio's natural alarm clock would go off and he'd come rescue her from this.

"She says she's fine." Jay reiterated. "Drop it."

Will knelt in front of Jes and put the back of his hand to her cheek. "You don't have a fever."

"I'm not sick."

"Then why do you look like you've been bent over a toilet, barfing your guts out." Will lifter her chin. "Can't tell me it's food poisoning… we'd all be sick. Wait, you… are you pregnant?"

Jes' eyes widened and she glared at Jay. Jay threw his hands up and shook his head.

"Jes… did Antonio knock you up?" Will asked again.

"Will, man… back off a bit." Jay tried to stop the inquisition.

"Did he?" Will turned to Jay. "Did you know?"

"He knew." Antonio stepped into the kitchen from the living room. "He knows and yes… she's pregnant… yes it's mine… and no, it's not the reason I asked her to marry me."

Will stood up, jaw hanging. "Jay… what… why?"

"It's not my place to tell you." Jay took a step back and went to put coffee on, wishing he had something a little stronger to add to it.

"We wanted to tell everyone else New Year's Eve." Jes took Will's hand. "I didn't want to tell everyone until we had more news from the OB."

Will sighed. "I'm sorry, Jes… Antonio… I just… it's been so long that I haven't seen her and now, a wedding and a baby… you've grown up so much."

"It's been a little less than 10 years, Will… I was going to grow up eventually." Jes squeezed his hand. "I wanted to surprise everyone."

"Well, I am surprised." Will smiled. "You're going to be a great mom, Jes. It's definitely something you were born to do. You've always been great with kids. I see it with Eva and Diego… Jay told me you adopted them, I was surprised but I knew that it was because you were what those kids needed."

"Thank you, Will." Jes got up and hugged him. "We really are happy."

Will turned to Antonio. "Congrats. You've got an amazing family."

"Your sister is who keeps us together." Antonio hugged Will.

"Who all knows?" Will asked. "I don't want to blab to the wrong people."

"The four of us in this room know, Gaby, Eva, Diego and Jacquie know… so do Jacquie's parents and her brother." Jes said, watching Antonio.

"Jacquie's brother… the same bozo whose got an issue with you being with Antonio?" Will asked.

"Jay told you?" Antonio looked to Jay.

"He needed to know. He's Jes' brother just like I am. We're both pissed at what's being said."

"Honestly, Jacquie can't get here soon enough." Jes moaned. "I need her here. I'm outnumbered by men."

* * *

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* * *

Jacquie sighed as the airplane touched down. She was anxious to get to the farm. Jes had been texting her about the drama that was going down. She was more upset of what her brother had been saying. She knew that Chris had always had a thing for Jes, but never had the balls to act on it until Jes was basically a damsel in distress. She had talked to their parents and neither of them had an idea of what was going on with Chris. She turned to Kevin who was eager to get off the plane too. She'd talked to him about the situation.

He had told her. "We need to get there sooner rather than later… If he's blasting his mouth off about Jes or the kids, and Antonio heard about it… whether or not he's your brother, he's in deep shit. He'll be in even deeper shit if Jay finds out. Those two are more protective of Jes than anyone else."

Jacquie sighed. Once they were cleared to leave the plane, she grabbed her carry-on and got out as quickly as possible. She needed to get a rental vehicle and she needed to stop her brother from making a bigger ass of himself than he already had. Kevin and Vinessa tried to keep up with her, but Damien held them back.

"Let her go." He said. "She needs to deal with this, in her way… and well, my son is going to learn the hard way that he shouldn't be putting his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Sir?" Kevin asked.

"Chris, my son… he means well, but he doesn't necessarily know how to go about it… and he doesn't know when to back off. It makes him a damn good Air Force pilot and a great cop… but it's not serving him well in the relationship department."

"I see." Kevin looked to Vinessa who was preoccupied with something Meg was showing her. "Would Chris try to do something to sabotage Antonio and Jes?"

Damien shrugged. "I'd like to think not, but who knows."

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Jacquie ran to the rental car desk. "I have a reservation. Jacquie Lennox."

"Of course. One moment." The clerk typed some information into the computer. "May I see your license please?"

Jacquie handed her license to the clerk. Upon confirming the information, the clerk handed it back. "Here are the keys. If you could sign these forms, and you can be on your way."

Jacquie signed on the lines, took the keys and raced to the parking garage. She knew her parents would be able to take care of Kevin and Vinessa. She needed to go deal with her brother. She connected her phone to the SUV's Bluetooth and dialed Jes' number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jes."

"You landed? Why didn't you call sooner? We'd be there already." Jes' voice was a little panicked.

"I have a rental, my parents are driving Kevin and Vinessa. I'm on my way to you now."

"Jacquie." Jes said. "We could've picked you up."

"I know, but I need to nip this thing in the butt before Chris does something he's going to regret… and right now, I'm really tempted to kick his ass myself."

"You talked to Antonio?"

"No, Gaby. She called the night shit went down at the hockey game."

"Jacquie… it's nothing serious."

"Sure it is. My brother's so called friends are basically comparing you to your mom, and you are nothing like her." Jacquie sighed. "I'll be there in a half hour. Don't talk to Chris."

"I haven't talked to him that night. He tried calling a couple times, I ignored him."

"Good. I'll see you soon." Jacquie ended the call and focused on every short cut she'd ever learned to get back there. She knew that something was going to happen, and she wasn't about to let Jes go through hell again and risk losing the baby.

* * *

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* * *

The doorbell rang. "Antonio, can you see who it is? I'm just getting in the shower." Jes called out.

"You got it babe." Antonio headed from the bedroom and headed to check on the door. Jay and Will had beaten him there. "Who is it?"

"Where's Jes?" Will asked.

"In the shower." Antonio pushed the door all the way open. "What the fuck do you want?"

Chris was standing on the doorstep. "I wanna talk to Jes."

"She's busy… and she wants nothing to do with you." Will stepped in.

"Who are you?" Chris did the once over on Will. "Another one of the guys who just likes to take advantage of a young woman who doesn't know what she really needs in life?"

Jay stepped between his older brother and Chris. "Walk away. I'm losing all my patience, and I'm being the pacifist here. My older brother and Antonio, they'd love to lay you out right now, but see… I'm doing what Jes ask me to. Leave you alone. Now leave."

"Not until I talk to Jes." Chris crossed his arms.

"It ain't happening." Antonio stepped down the stairs. "You want to talk, you talk to us."

"What exactly are you going to be doing about it? Huh, keep feeding her lies about how she's your priority? That everything's going to be different. That your job is second now." Chris got closer. "I know the type of guy you are, Dawson."

"Then you know I've served overseas, like Jay… like your dad… like Jes' dad… like you." Antonio pushed Jay aside. "And with that in mind, I think we're going to take this outside, and we're going to solve this man to man."

"Antonio… Jes said…" Jay tried to reason with him.

"Jes isn't down here right now, and I'm done with this clown running his mouth like he has any claim to her." Antonio shouted. "I'm dealing with this. She is my family now, she's your sister… you do what you want, but I'm damn well sure putting an end to this."

"He's a cop." Will reminded him.

Chris smirked. "He's the smart one."

"He's a doctor… he makes money off of guys like you." Jay said. He grabbed his coat and put on his boots. "You… we're done with you."

"You're going to assault a member of the RCMP?" Chris taunted them.

"Are you on duty?" Antonio pointed to him. "I don't see a badge, or your uniform… so right now, you and me… we're going to fix this." He pulled on his boots. "I'm done dealing with your bullshit and how you treat her. She's not some toy that you only want when someone else has it."

Chris took a step back. "I'll… I'll be going."

"Nah." Jay grabbed him by the collar. "You ain't getting away that easy this time."

Will followed in their suit. He closed the door behind them and prayed that Jes wouldn't come downstairs any time soon.

* * *

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* * *

Jacquie pulled into the yard. There was no one in sight. She went to the main farmhouse and walked in. "Jes? Antonio? Jay?"

"Jacquie?" Jes called from upstairs.

Jacquie ran up the stairs to the master bedroom. "Hey, where is everyone?"

Jes turned from the mirror where she was doing her hair. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, where are Jay and Antonio, the kids?"

"The kids are with Gaby and my in-laws in the guesthouse. Antonio, Jay and Will are downstairs. I'm surprised you didn't see them when you came in."

"Will's here?" Jacquie shook her head. "Your fiancé and brothers are not downstairs. Their boots aren't there either."

"What? Where the hell could they have… oh fuck!"

"What?"

"When I was getting into the shower, the doorbell rang… I asked Antonio to get it… what if it was Chris?"

"Shit!" Jacquie punched the wall. "I rushed here to prevent this."

"Jacquie, I… I don't know what to say."

"I do. My brother is a fucking idiot!" She growled. "I told him to back off."

"He obviously doesn't think listening to his baby sister counts as important."

"Jes… I'm so sorry. I didn't know he was going to be here or anything… I didn't find out til Mom and Dad told me when they got to Chicago."

Jes sighed. This had been going on long enough. "Jacquie, I think you need to sit… I've got some stuff that I've got to tell you."

* * *

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* * *

Jay and Will dragged Chris into the shop. Antonio checked behind them. There wasn't anyone around. He sent Gaby a quick text to make sure no one came in the shop. He was going to teach this prick a lesson and that was all there was to it. "Let him go."

"Antonio." Jay said.

"If I'm doing this… I'm going to do it right. He's going to be able to fight back." Antonio took off his coat. "I won't shoot an unarmed offender, I won't beat on a guy who's being held back."

Chris gulped. In his research on Antonio, he knew he was a boxing champ and he had had the chance to box in the Olympics. He didn't stand a chance. He'd never boxed in his life. "No."

"Oh, yes. See you have no problem running your mouth about an innocent woman and her choices… but you have a problem fighting a man who's your size and in the same career as you?" Antonio asked, cracking his knuckles. "I have a problem with that. I have an even bigger problem because the woman you've been insulting and letting your so-called 'friends' insult… is my fiancée and the mother of my children… unborn or adopted… either way… I won't stand for it. Once I'm through with you…" He pointed to Chris. "Her brothers are going to have their way with you. If there's anything left… then I'll let your sister pick up the pieces. She should be here soon enough… she knows what you've been saying… so do your parents… and from what we've heard… they're just a little disappointed in you… to say the least." He walked right up to Chris and gave him a strong left jab.

Chris stumbled back. "You don't know anything! She's exactly like her mother! A whore!"

Antonio swung again, this time in a jab, cross, double hook combo. Chris was reeling. He blindly swung at Antonio but missed and crashed to the floor. "Get up!" Antonio demanded. "Get up!"

* * *

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* * *

Jacquie's jaw may as well have been on the floor. "What?"

"I didn't tell anyone because… he's family."

"It doesn't matter! Jes… I am so sorry. It's all my fault."

"How on Earth is that your fault?"

"He's my brother."

"That wasn't your choice."

"I'm going to kill him." Jacquie stood up. "I'm going to kill him."

"Uh… my brother and her brothers may beat you to that." Gaby said coming up the stairs.

"What do you mean?" Jes walked to her.

"I got this text. I have a feeling Chris pushed 'Tonio passed the breaking point." She gave her phone to Jes.

"Jacquie, we gotta go… or else what I just told you isn't going to matter."

Jacquie nodded. "Where are they?"

"The shop?" Gaby said.

"Fuck!" Jes and Jacquie tore down the stairs and flew outside, Gaby close on their heels.

"What's the shop?" Gaby shouted after them.

"It's the workshop… all my Dad's tools and Jes' dad's tools are in there…" Jacquie shouted over her shoulder.

They flew outside and booked it to the shop, snow blowing around them. They ran in the door. "Stop!" Jacquie shouted.

Antonio stood back, while Will grabbed Jay's arm.

"Stop." Jes said quietly.

Antonio ran to her. "Babe, you shouldn't be out in the cold without a coat!"

"You shouldn't be out here beating Chris to a pulp, either." Jes said.

"He wasn't restrained. It's been a fair fight." Antonio said looking to the bloody mess laying on the shop floor.

Jay rubbed his fist. "Jes, the things he's said. No… none of us were putting up with it anymore. He called you a whore."

Jacquie sighed. "I'm more upset of what he did, than what he's been saying." She turned to Jes. "I have to admit… I don't know my brother anymore… I haven't known him since he left home when I was 14."

"Jacquie?" Antonio looked to her. Something was weighing heavily on her. "Jes… what's she talking about?"

Jes took a deep breath. "I just got something off my chest about the night I was raped… 7 years ago… something that no one knew."

Everyone exchanged glances. Chris' eyes widened as much as they could in their swollen state. "You didn't."

Jacquie stomped up to him and punched him square in the jaw. "She did. How could you!? How could you?!" She began whaling on him.

"Jacquie!" Jay and Will pulled her off him.

"What the hell?" Antonio was at a loss.

Jacquie was weeping and trying to get out of Jay and Will's grasps. "He's the reason… it's his fault!"

"Can somebody please fill us in?" Will asked.

"He's the reason Jes almost died… it's his fault!" Jacquie was weeping uncontrollably.

Jes ran to the workbench and grabbed some zip ties. "Tie him up…" She wiped her eyes. "Tie him up, and I'll tell you."

Antonio took the zip ties and did as she asked. He pulled out a chair from under some bags of recycling and had Jes sit. "Babe… is this amount of stress really good for the baby?"

"Probably not." Jes sighed. "But I think keeping what I just told Jacquie bottled up anymore… while we're here… and he's here… no… that's so much worse."

Gaby took out her phone and texted Kevin that when he got there, he had to come find them. Jacquie was going to need him.

"Jes, talk to us. Please."

"You… well almost all of you… know that when I was 19, I was raped and left for dead." Jes took a deep breath. "What I didn't tell anyone was that it wasn't just the guy I was dating that did it. Chris was there. He… he was the one that raped me… then his buddy… the guy who was my so-called boyfriend…"

"Jes… are you saying… what I think you're saying?"

She nodded weakly. "He was in the Air Force. He wasn't going to see me again… He told me how pretty I was… and stuff like that… I fell for it… He and his friend came over; I didn't think I was in danger… I didn't want to get him in trouble. He's my best friend's brother… I didn't want to lose her because of what he did."

"Was he the one who clipped the brake line?" Jay asked. "Was it him that killed his own sister and almost killed his other sister and mine?!"

"No." Jes said. "He wasn't in Alberta… I don't even think he was in Canada at the time. That was his friend… but I can't say if he didn't put the call into his friend to do it."

"If he raped you, why did he offer to marry you?" Antonio asked Jes.

"I don't know. I'm thinking a guilty conscience… or that he found out the baby was actually his… he couldn't claim it though, because that would mean he'd have to admit to rape." Jes wept. "I wanted nothing to do with him. I've pushed those feelings aside since then because I cared more about keeping my friendship alive with Jacquie then letting him ruin me. I was fine… until I got these texts today." She gave Antonio the phone.

He read the texts with Jay next to him. His blood was boiling. He turned to Gaby. "I'm going to go outside… you make sure he doesn't bleed out on the floor."

Gaby nodded and watched as her brother stalked into the falling snow. She turned to Chris. "You're lucky that my brother didn't have his gun with you." She went to Jes. "Jes… are you okay? Do you want me to take you to get checked out? Make sure all the stress isn't hurting the baby?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah… maybe that's a good idea." She protectively covered her abdomen.

Antonio burst back into the shop. "I called the RCMP. I spoke directly to _**HIS**_ boss. They're on their way. Turns out… this is a bigger thing than I had originally thought. Turns out… he's being investigated by IA… for similar crimes."

Jacquie bolted from the chair but Kevin walked into the shop and pulled her into his arms. Kevin held her tightly. "Baby, it's not worth it… it's not. Just… let him get dealt with here."

"He hurt my best friend… he hurt his Godfather's only child… he…" Jacquie broke down. "He's not my brother… my brother obviously died and this guy just looks like him."

Kevin led her out of the shop as the flashing lights pulled into the yard. "Let's go to the house. You've been through enough tonight."

Officers ran right past them into the shop. "Christopher Lennox!"

"He's all yours." Antonio pointed to him. "He's not going anywhere."

"I'm Captain LaSalle. I'm looking for Antonio Dawson?" The Captain stepped forward.

"That's me." Antonio stepped towards him. "I called about this."

"I see. Are you the one that Jeslyn Halstead's marrying?"

Antonio nodded. "I am."

"Is she here?"

"She's right there, with my sister… look, Captain… I'd like to get Jes into the house."

"Sure, uh… let's do that… did you do that?" He pointed to Chris' face.

"Me and Jes' brother, Jay."

"Well, at least he's not going to be pressing charges." The captain sighed. "Cuff Constable Lennox, get him to Sturgeon and stay with him. Once he's cleared, he's in the holding cell until I can talk to him."

The other constables nodded and set to their work. Antonio went to Jes and picked her up.

"Antonio… you… your shoulder…" Jes whimpered

"You're my priority." Antonio said. "Will can patch me up later if need be." He walked into the snow and headed straight to the house.

Captain LaSalle followed after them. This was one hell of a mess that needed to be cleaned up. He watched as Antonio put Jes on the couch in the living room. He noticed that Chris' sister, Jacquie, was on the other couch with a man he'd never met before. "Okay… uh… can I know who I've all got here for the official report?"

Antonio nodded as he sat next to Jes, pulling her to him. "Antonio Dawson, Chicago PD, Intelligence Division. You know Jes… That…" He pointed to Gaby. "Is my little sister, Gabriela Dawson… she's a firefighter with the CFD. The gentleman with Jacquie is her boyfriend, Officer Kevin Atwater. He works with me in Intelligence. The other two gentlemen that just came behind you are Dr. Will Halstead…" Will waved. "And Detective Jay Halstead, also with CPD also with Intelligence."

Captain LaSalle wrote all their names in his notepad. "Okay… so let's start at the beginning… Jeslyn."

"Captain." She said softly. "It's been a while."

"Are you okay to tell me what happened?"

"Where do you want me to start?" Jes asked, leaning on Antonio's shoulder.

"How about you start by telling me how you're doing?" Captain LaSalle took a seat on the edge of the couch.

"I'm tired of this." She said. "I didn't want to have to live through this again… a third time… I came home… here… to recover…"

"I know what happened in Chicago… it's been all over the news. It took a while to piece together that Jeslyn Bellamy also was Jeslyn Halstead."

"Captain… that's something I'll explain… but it doesn't pertain to what happened tonight." Jes sighed.

"Then let's start there."

Jes handed him her phone. "I got these texts from Chris the last couple days. Ever since the hockey game."

"He invited you to that game?"

Jes nodded. "He did. I brought Jay, Gaby, Antonio, our children and Antonio's nephew and nieces."

"Children?"

"I adopted Antonio's two older children." Jes sighed. "I'm pregnant… the baby is his and we're getting married. Chris… he didn't like that."

"I see." Captain LaSalle tapped his pen against the notepad. "Why?"

Jes went through what she had just told Jacquie and everyone else just moments earlier.

"And you didn't tell anyone that he'd been involved because you didn't want to upset the family?"

"That's right. They were the only people I had here that cared for me anymore… Jay was in Afghanistan… my adoptive mother wasn't doing well and Will was working overseas with Doctors Without Borders."

"What about your family here?" Captain LaSalle continued to write notes.

"Captain, you know the family history here. My mother's reputation… how people felt about her… my maternal side basically hated that she married my father… never mind had me. I haven't spoken to them in years… since she died. Dad's family is either too old to take me in or can't be bother to care. The Lennox family and the Halstead family are all I had. I couldn't destroy that. Now… after all these years, and the threats… I couldn't do it anymore."

"Okay… so what happened today?"

Antonio took over. "Jes was getting in the shower. The doorbell rang. She asked me to check. When I got there, Chris was at the door and Jay and Will were blocking him from coming in. Jes had asked us to not let him near her. He wouldn't leave… then he said some unsavoury things about Jes… accused Will of sleeping with her because he didn't know Will was her older adoptive brother."

"I see."

"Then from there, I got angry of how he could be so disrespectful of someone like Jes, so we took him to the shop where you found us and we had at it."

"Did you guys restrain him?" The captain asked.

"No, sir." Will said. "He tried to fight back against Jay and Antonio, and well… he's not a good boxer."

"He was more into hockey than boxing." Captain LaSalle commented.

"Too bad for him. Jay and Antonio are well known boxing champs." Kevin said. "Look, I get that you have to be here, asking these questions and such… but it's been really hard on both of these women having to hear this and go through it…"

"I know. Look, uh… as I mentioned over the phone… to… uh, Antonio… There is an open investigation into Chris Lennox."

"Can you elaborate?" Jay asked, leaning against the doorway.

"Now that this has blown wide open… well… I can say that subordinates have come forward mentioning sexual harassment… and it's been found in his military record that accusations were made there as well… until tonight, we didn't have a whole lot… but, um… a CI that reports to him… showed up right before I got Antonio's call. She's pregnant… she says it's Chris' and that he forced himself on her when she didn't accept his advances."

"How old is she?" Jes whispered.

Captain LaSalle turned to her. "I beg your pardon?"

"How old is the CI?"

"19."

Jes moaned. "Believe her… he told me… that night… he only liked 'em when they were legal but just barely."

"I see." Captain LaSalle closed his notebook. "I won't be pressing charges on any of you, but we may have more questions later on."

"We're here until February." Antonio rubbed Jes' back. "Jay, Jacquie, Kevin and the rest of our family will be heading back to Chicago on January 5."

"I understand." Captain LaSalle took Jes' hand. "I'm sorry, Jeslyn… that you had to go through that… and I'm sorry that this is happening now. Would you like me to have someone drive you to get checked out… make sure nothing's wrong with the baby?"

"Actually, I brought my medical kit." Will stepped up. "I have a Doppler and a portable ultrasound. I can do a check on her. I think though, she would benefit from some rest."

"Of course. I'm going to inform Damien and Meg about this." Captain LaSalle went to Jacquie. "Jacquie, I know this is tough and definitely not something you want to hear about your brother."

"He's not my brother. My brother wasn't capable of this… that man stopped being my brother the day he decided to rape my best friend." Jacquie lifted her head. "I don't ever want to see him again and I want nothing to do with him."

"Fair enough." He turned to leave. "Try to rest and if I need anything else… I'll be in touch."

Gaby and Jay walked the Captain to the door. "Captain?" Jay asked.

"Yes, Detective?"

"Will you need either of those women to testify?"

"I doubt it. I know what Jeslyn has been through… hearing the whole story tonight… I can't put her through that. I owe her Dad my life… He and Damien… they pushed me out of the way of an exploding IED. Jes' dad, Michel, and Damien took the brunt of the blast. Michel was killed and Damien, he was badly wounded. I ended up with a couple cracked ribs and a concussion. I got to come home in time for my wife to deliver my twin son and daughter. I owe those two men everything. I hate that I have to tell Damien that his son is… well…"

"Captain, please… my sister needs to be calm and safe… her pregnancy is depending on it."

"I know. I am going to do my best to keep her out of it as a witness… The statute of limitations on rape is over anyhow… and there's no proof he got his buddy to clip her break line… all we have to go on are threats made against her, and her family and the accusations coming from multiple other sources."

"Thank you." Jay shook the man's hand and locked the door behind him. He turned to Gaby. "Let's go make sure that that baby and Jes are going to be okay."

Gaby nodded and grabbed Will's medical bag from the hallway.

* * *

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* * *

The remainder of the week flew by. The rest of Intelligence had arrived along with Matt for the big New Year's Eve bash. Everyone was busy prepping for the big night. Food was being prepped, fireworks were being set up and Jes and Antonio were in the middle of trying to figure out how to tell everyone that they were expecting.

"Antonio… how are we telling them?"

"I say we do it while the fireworks are going off at midnight." He kissed her.

"That would definitely have their attention." Jes smiled.

"Hey, there's that beautiful smile. I missed it." He kissed the tip of her nose.

"I'm just glad it's out and it's over with."

"Have you talked to Damien or Meg since that night?"

Jes nodded. "They're… uh… pretty shaken up… but they're not denying anything. They blame themselves… but… I don't think they're going to be helping him to try and say he was innocent."

"It's gotta be so hard on them." Antonio knelt in front of her. "They've already lost a daughter, now their only son?"

"He made that choice, Antonio… I was just stupid for not speaking up when it first happened."

"Jes… none of that is your fault." He lifted her shirt and kissed her still-flat belly. "Baby, can you reassure your mommy that this is going to be okay, and we're going to have the best family ever?"

Jes giggled. "I don't think it works that way."

"It should." Antonio kissed her belly again. "I'm just so happy that we can actually start moving on with our life. I'm also really, really excited to tell everyone the news."

"I know… it's so surreal… in a couple weeks, we'll be at three months."

"The kids are bursting at the seams to know if it's a little brother or a little sister."

"Do you want to know, Antonio?"

"I would… it would help me paint the nursery." He stood up. "You don't want to know?"

Jes shook her head. "No. I've always just wanted to have that surprise in the delivery room."

"Then we'll wait and see."

"What about the nursery?"

"Gender neutral colours with a really cute theme, like safari animals or CareBears?"

"Works for me." Jes laughed.

"Knock knock." Jacquie poked her head around the corner. "Everyone's almost ready. It's almost 9."

Jes grinned. "Only 3 hours until midnight, the new year and when we get to tell everyone our big news."

Jacquie ran and hugged her. "I'm so excited for you guys."

"I think you actually may be more excited." Antonio pointed out.

"So… did you guys actually pick a wedding date yet?" Jacquie had been on the wedding planning kick since she'd arrived.

"We're telling everyone tonight." Jes reminded her.

"But… but…" Jacquie tried to attempt the "Puss-in-Boots" eyes.

"Nope… but I do have a question to ask." Jes smiled. "Would you be my maid of honour?"

"Of course!" Jacquie squealed. "Of course I will!"

"Good… we have an appointment to go dress shopping on the 3rd. You, me, Jay, Will and Eva."

"Why Jay and Will?" Jacquie asked.

"They're buying the dress."

"Ah… I see. Then definitely."

"Diego and I are going to go scout out locations for the reception." Antonio said.

"Wait… you're going back to Chicago already?" Jacquie was confused.

"No…" Jes glared at Antonio. "He just spilled part of the beans… We've decided to get married here."

"Oh my God! Wow! Then, okay… now it all makes sense!"

"Are you guys coming or what?" Jay called. "Foods gonna get cold."

* * *

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* * *

It was almost midnight. Jes and Antonio were so excited but nervous at the same time. They knew that the kids were fine with what was happening, but it was the rest of the family and friends that they weren't so sure about. Everyone bundled up and headed outside to watch the fireworks display that had been authorized by the County.

"I'm nervous." Jes whispered to Antonio.

"Why?"

"Because once it's out there… it's really happening."

"Baby, it's happening. It's real. We've seen our baby… everything is going great… Dr. Mayo said youre healthy and that's all that matters in the end."

"Do you think your parents are going to be happy?"

"I don't think Dominican are ever not happy to hear that there's another baby on the way." He laughed. "Don't worry so much."

She took his hand and they followed the crowd to the wide-open field. There was a light sprinkling of snow falling, but the air wasn't too cold. Jay and Will were in charge of setting off the fireworks. They headed to where they were launching from and waited for the thumbs up from Antonio.

"Everyone ready?" Antonio asked.

"Yes!" Came a thundering cry.

He laughed. "Let's go!" He gave them the thumbs up as his watch read midnight.

Shouts of "Happy New Year!" went off. Hugs and kisses were passed around. The crowd continued to watch as the fireworks exploded overhead. There was one set left. A very special one, but it needed to wait.

"Is that all of them?" Eva asked Antonio.

"No… there's one more." He cupped his hands and put them to his mouth, shouting. "There's one final set of fireworks… go for it Jay!"

Jay and Will lit the fuses for the last batch. They ran to join the others as the fireworks blasted off into the night sky. Everyone watched in awe as they exploded forming the shape of a newborn baby.

Variations of "What?" and "Huh?" went through the crowd. Antonio took Jes' hand; Diego and Eva followed their parents. They headed to the front of the group of family and friends.

"We, as a family, have an announcement to make." Antonio said as the voices settled down.

"First off, let me thank all of you for being here and celebrating this with us…" Jes said. "It means the world to all of us. We're all family here and that is what matters the most. Secondly, Antonio and I are happy to announce that we've set our wedding date."

"When is it?" Ruzek called out.

"Where is it?" Kim asked.

Antonio took a deep breath. "We're getting married here… in Jes' church… the reception will be somewhere close by."

"WHEN!?" Everyone shouted. "Come on! We're in suspense… you're killing us!"

"After the baby's born." Jes grinned.

"Baby?" Everyone's jaws dropped. "Baby?!"

"Jes and I are happy to announce that we're expecting a baby around July 1…"

The group burst into shouts of 'Congratulations' and 'Oh my God'. They were soon flooded with well wishes as everyone flocked to them.

"Mijos!" Constanza cried. "Is true? Another little one?"

Jes nodded, tears in her eyes. "Si, Mami. It's a miracle."

Constanza hugged Jes tightly. "Oh, felicitaciones! This is truly great news!"

Emmanuel hugged his son. "Was this planned?"

Antonio shook his head. "No… originally, Jes had been told she couldn't have kids… this really took us by surprise."

"The baby's okay? With everything that's happened?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. We heard the heartbeat the other day."

Father and son hugged again. Emmanuel turned to his grandchildren. "How do you guys feel about a little brother or sister?"

"Great!" Eva exclaimed. "It's great news. And… I'm so happy that it's out now because I don't think Diego or I could've kept it to ourselves much longer."

"Yeah!" Diego sighed. "It's hard keeping a secret like that… but I really hope that it's a little brother… I want someone to do science with."

Antonio patted Diego's shoulder. "As long as the baby and Jes are healthy and safe, that's all that matters." He turned and saw that everyone was smiling and laughing. It was definitely worth celebrating. He saw Voight walking towards him.

"Antonio."

"Hank." They greeted each other.

"So a fall wedding and a new baby. That's quite an undertaking."

Antonio nodded. "It is, but this is my family now… they're my priority… I can't lose them, not now… not ever."

Hank smiled. "You need time, you've got it. Those kids need a father and a mother… that new baby, is going to need its dad. Whatever you or Jes or the kids need, you tell me and it's done."

"Thank you, Hank."

Hank pulled Antonio away from the group. "I have some news, I figured you should know."

"About?"

"Jacquie's brother."

Antonio sighed. "What about him?"

"He took a plea deal. Life with no chance of parole for 30 years."

"Thank God. So no trial, no having to put anyone through that again."

Hank nodded. "That's right. They're safe."

"Good."

"Enjoy tonight, 'Tonio. Celebrate with your family. You had a bad year… now it's time for a whole new chapter." Hank grinned and went to congratulate Jes.

Gaby and Javier walked up to him. "What did your boss want?"

"To congratulate me and to tell me that if I need time for the family, it's mine."

"That… came out of the mouth… of Hank Voight?" Javi's jaw dropped.

"I'm as surprised as you are." Antonio shrugged. "But I'm taking it."

"So September?" Gaby smiled.

"Yeah. The 4th. It's what she wants, and she's getting her dream wedding." Antonio rubbed his hands together. "So, what do you guys make of all of this?"

"Other than, you're going in the wrong order?" Gaby asked.

Antonio looked to her. "Wrong order?"

Javi laughed. "First comes love, then comes marriage… then comes the baby carriage!"

"Oh grow up!" Antonio pushed his brother into a nearby snow pile.

"Hey!" Javi cried. "No fair!"

Soon, snowballs were flying everywhere. Laughter filled the night sky. Jes stood back and watched the scene play out in front of her. She could feel her father's presence there with her. It was comforting. "Je t'aimes à jamais." She whispered as she rubbed her belly. "Je t'aimerai pour toujours."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, a little more dramatic than originally planned… I've been having really bad couple weeks… in turn crap happens in the story… Hope that you're still enjoying it… more happy thoughts coming… good news… the baby's healthy and everyone's happy… drama gone… for now… Let me know what you think!**_


	24. Drag Me Down

_**A/N: Well, we had one heck of a rollercoaster ride in the last few chapters… but now, let's give Jes, Jacquie and everyone else a little break. I promise! Let me know what you think! Nicole**_

* * *

Jes was just getting a better handle on her morning sickness. The cure… was crackers! She kept some with her at all times. She didn't need the prescription as much anymore. She was almost in month 4 of the pregnancy. That meant that some of these symptoms would be easing up any day, providing she was going to have a typical pregnancy. She was pacing in the kitchen when Jacquie joined her in the main house.

"Jes, what are you pacing for?" Jacquie asked.

"Because… I'm nervous." Jes admitted.

"For what?"

"What day is it?" Jes pointed to the calendar.

Jacquie looked closely. "The 3rd."

"What did we say we were doing on the 3rd?"

Jacquie had to think about it. "Oh my GOD! I can't believe I forgot!"

"Forgot about what?" Jay and Will came into the kitchen, yawning. "What's with all the shrieking?"

"We're not shrieking!" Jes said a little louder than she had originally meant to.

"Really?" Will put his fingers in his ears. "Because that sure as hell sounds like shrieking."

Jes stuck her tongue out.

"Real mature, Jes." Jay kissed her cheek. "Don't forget, you're going to be a mommy in a few months."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know. No need to remind me." Jes nibbled on a cracker.

"Still got the morning sickness?" Will asked as he poured some cereal into a bowl.

"It's not as bad… the crackers help." Jes said, taking a sip of apple juice.

"So, again… what did Jacquie forget?" Jay asked.

"It's the 3rd." Jacquie said.

"Yes. We've covered that. It's the 3rd… of January… all day." Jay smirked. "What about it?"

"We're supposed to go wedding dress shopping!" Jacquie exclaimed, almost knocking her tea onto the floor.

Will laughed. "I thought men were supposed to be the forgetful ones!"

"Shut up!" Jacquie tossed a tea bag at his head, missing.

"Sorry." Will smiled. "So… did you have to make appointments or how does this whole wedding dress thing work? They never really explain it on 'Say Yes to the Dress'."

Jes looked at him. "Seriously?"

"What? I work in a medical office with a lot of women. What did you think we watched, 'Star Trek'?"

"I have no response to that." Jay snorted as he buttered his bagel.

"I made an appointment." Jes said. "It's one of the best bridal houses in this area, and they carry dresses for women my size."

"Jes, you're not that big." Jay pointed out.

"I'm a size 18 in regular clothes, in a wedding gown that's like a size 22."

"Jes… what are you talking about?" Jay asked.

"I'm a bigger girl." Jes sat on a chair.

"You're perfectly healthy." Antonio whispered in her ear.

Jes jumped. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"I was in the other room looking at photographers' wedding package prices." He kissed her cheek. "You're curvy and healthy… don't let anyone else tell you otherwise… plus I like the curves."

"Ew! Antonio! That's my sister!" Jay groaned.

"She's going to be my wife, so get over it." Antonio laughed. "I have a couple potential photographers that we should meet with later."

"Works for me. Did you figure out your half of the bridal party?" Jes asked.

Antonio nodded. "Yeah." He turned to Jay. "Would you be one of my groomsmen?"

Jay turned to Jes. "Can I walk you up the aisle and be his groomsman?"

Jes nodded. "Why not? You're my big brother but you're also one of Antonio's best friends."

"I'd be honoured Antonio." Jay grinned. "Does that mean we have to go tux hunting too?"

"Actually, no." Antonio said. "I hate tuxes. Feel like a damn penguin when I wear them. Jes and I talked about it, we would actually prefer that the groomsmen be in black suits and we'll just get vests and ties."

"Works for me." Jay leaned back in his chair. "I hate tuxes too, so that's just fine. Who are the other groomsmen?"

"Javi is gonna be my best man, and I asked Voight."

Jay's jaw dropped and Will spat out his coffee. "You asked who?!"

"I asked Voight." Antonio said, straight-faced. "Why not?"

"Because… he's Voight?" Jay had to focus on breathing. "Just who exactly is he being partnered with?"

"Well, Jacquie is going to be with Javier because she's my maid of honour. You're paired off with Gaby… so I guess that means Nadia."

"Does she know about that?"

Jes tossed her napkin at Jay. "I'll tell her today when…"

Antonio couldn't take it anymore. He broke out into a fit of laughter. "Wow, Jay… you're really fucking gullible."

"Wha?"

"Seriously, bro?" Antonio fell off his chair.

"Jes, were you in on this?" Jay turned to his sister, who burst out laughing.

"Yeah… just to see your face was priceless." Jes helped Antonio back up.

"Then, who's the other groomsman?"

"Just the two of you guys. Diego and Eva are junior groomsman and junior bridesmaid."

"That's a small wedding party." Will pointed out.

"I'm not about to have ten bridesmaids to cause more drama than an episode of 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'."

"I agree with Jes on that." Jacquie said. "I've seen one too many weddings where the bridesmaids are divas and don't give a crap about what the bride wants."

"Mom? When are we going?" Eva came rushing into the kitchen.

"As soon as your uncles get dressed. Jacquie and I are ready to go." Jes looked to her brothers. "The appointments in an hour and it'll take us 45 minutes to get there."

Jay looked to Will and sighed. "Let's get dressed, we'll have to eat on the way."

Jacquie smiled. "I'm so excited. This is such a big thing!"

"I know. I can't believe that we're actually doing it!" Jes exclaimed. "I never thought this was possible."

"It is, babe." Antonio kissed her. "This is happening. Now, what colour are we looking at for the bridesmaids colours?"

Jes looked at him. "Seriously, you can't guess?"

Antonio shook his head.

"Dad, even I know… and I'm not the one getting married." Diego laughed. He was carrying a clipboard and pen. "Are we good to go scouting for reception places?"

"Let's go, buddy." Antonio grabbed his coat. "Let's leave the ladies to it. We have to go get Tio Javi." He kissed the top of Eva's head. "Go and see if Tia Gaby is ready to go with you guys. The sooner you guys get started the sooner you're done."

Eva nodded and headed downstairs to find out if Gaby was ready for the outing.

"So we're only going to one store?" Jay asked.

"Well, it's the only one I want to go to… do you think we should go to a couple different stores?"

Jay turned to Will. Will answered. "Yeah, just to get an idea of a price range and stuff… If you like one at the first place, we'll go back and order it. Promise."

Jes sighed. "Okay… I know a couple that are in the mall… they're supposed to be really nice."

"Good." Jay put his dishes in the dishwasher. "Well, let's get going." He headed to the front door, the others quickly on his tail.

"Wait!" Antonio called after them. "I still don't know what colour you chose!"

"Dad!" Diego groaned. "Seriously? What's Mom's favourite colour?"

Jay called back. "Be careful how you answer… a wrong answer may result in you being on the couch for a while."

"Purple?"

"Bingo!" Jacquie shouted as she ran outside.

Antonio shook his head. "I really should just ask these questions when your mom and I are alone."

Diego smiled. "Oh, yeah… otherwise you get Aunt Jacquie, Uncle Jay, Tia Gaby… well… everyone nagging you about it."

"Let's go, Diego. We've got things to do."

* * *

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* * *

Jes gave Jay directions to get to the Bridal House. He refused to let her drive, and when she asked why, his answer was. "Because Erin never lets me drive."

"I'm not your girlfriend… I'm your sister, and I actually know where the hell we're headed. You don't."

"She's not my girlfriend either." Jay glared at her. "Plus, should you really be driving?"

"I'm not about to give birth… I'm not even showing yet!" Jes countered.

"You kinda do have a bit of a bump." Jacquie said from the backseat.

"You're not helping, Jacquie."

"Jes, you're pregnant… it's gonna happen eventually." Jacquie reminded her. "Plus, didn't the OB tell you that you're almost 4 months in… which is around the time women start showing."

"Jacquie's right." Will and Gaby said in unison.

"I swear… I'm going to go nuts. You guys are all babying me… I'm fine! Really."

"I'm with Mom." Eva said. "She'd tell you if something was wrong."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Jes took her daughter's hand. "You're right. Oh, Jay! Turn left at those lights and go onto that side street on the left side."

Jay did as Jes told him and then he saw it. 'The Bridal and Tuxedo House' was a two-storey building that had a whole bunch of space. "Wow, sis… is this place pricey?"

Jes shook her head. "NO! It's got a wide variety of prices, styles and sizes… plus it's locally owned and run." She undid her seatbelt. "Please, don't overanalyze everything today… I just want to find my dress and then get the dresses for the girls."

"It's your special day, Jes." Gaby patted her arm. "Don't worry, we'll keep them in check and all they have to do is smile, nod and pay the bill."

"Right." Will smiled. "We're outnumbered, so we'll just go with it."

"Okay. Okay. Let's go find out what there is out there for our baby sister." Jay got out and rubbed his hands together. "I don't remember it being this cold in Chicago."

"That's because right now, with the wind… it's about -40… Celsius." Jes smirked. "This is mild compared to the winter Jacquie and I taught in the mountains."

"Let's just get inside… before Will and I have to treat all of you for frostbite and exposure." Gaby said as she ran to grab the door. "Come on… hustle."

The whole group went in and took off their coats and boots. Jes went to the counter. "Hi, I have an appointment for a consultation."

The perky young woman looked up from the computer. "Of course. What's the name?"

"Jes Halstead." She blushed.

"Oh, yes! Perfect. I've been waiting for you. My name is Ashley. I'll be your consultant today." She extended her hand. "Is this your group?"

Jes nodded. "Yes." She pointed to Jay. "That is one of my brothers, Jay and the other one is my other brother, Will… they're paying for the gown."

"Pleasure to meet you gentlemen." Ashley stepped from around the counter. "Who else do we have?"

Jes pointed to Gaby and Jacquie. "This is my future sister-in-law, Gaby and my best friend, Jacquie. They're my bridesmaid and maid of honour. And this." Jes put her arms on Eva's shoulders. "Is my daughter, Eva… she will be the junior bridesmaid."

"Pleasure to meet all of you, now…" She grabbed a bag with clothespins in them. "I'm going to give each of you three of these. Go around the store and pick 3 dresses that you want to see Jes in. If more than one of you picks a similar dress, I'll pull it right away for her to try on. I'll let Jes, Jacquie and Eva go first… then Gaby, Jay and Will can go while Jes gets ready to start trying some of them on. Now, Jes… since you're the one wearing it… are there some definite no's when it comes to colour, style or design?"

Jes nodded. "I don't want poufy. I don't want strapless. I really want something that has a belt or something that can add a touch of colour… and I don't want a yellowish or champagne ivory dress… I'd prefer more white but not snow white."

Ashley jotted that down. "Okay, perfect." She turned to the rest of them. "Now, that's what she wants… don't go and pick something she doesn't want to try. Remember, she's the one wearing it… not you."

They all nodded and the first group of three went in and picked their gowns. Ashley pointed out the Alfred Angelo rack that Jes was determined to look at first. She turned to the guys. "Since you're footing the bill, what's the budget?"

Will turned to Jay. "Whatever she wants, she's going to get."

"What he said." Jay agreed.

"So no budget?"

Jay and Will took Ashley aside. "Have you watched the news coming out of Chicago recently?"

Ashley nodded.

"Does she look familiar?"

"Sorta." Ashley began to put the pieces together. "Wait… she's the one that helped bring down the Colombians?"

Will nodded. "She's been through hell, literally in the last couple months. The least we can do, as her brothers, is let her have the wedding dress of her dreams. Plus, Jes isn't a glitzy girl. She's about sensibility and practicality. She won't be one looking at the ten thousand dollar wedding dress."

"Okay… but I thought the last name that was on the news was Bellamy?"

"That's a long story." Jay said. "Short version, she didn't use our family name in Chicago because she wanted to make it on her own. Bellamy is her father's name… Halstead is ours… she took it after our mom adopted her ten years ago. Just, um… don't let on that you know… she really needs normal right now."

"You've got it. Thank you. I'll go get her into a room, and you three can go make your picks. I'll go pull some that I personally think will suit her while you make your choices." Ashley smiled. "You guys are some pretty awesome big brothers."

Ashley pulled some top picks from Alfred Angelo's line, knowing he was Jes' favourite designer. She also pulled a variety of coloured belts, since Jes had mentioned adding a pop of colour. She went into the room where Jes was waiting in a robe. "Well, here are some of the one's I think you may like… I'm still waiting on your brothers to make their last picks, then we can go through those ones. So, I tell this to all the girls that come in… we highly recommend that you don't wear a bra in a wedding gown, mainly because they're designed with some built in, and to prevent you from fighting with a bustier or something like that."

"Oh." Jes was surprised. "Well, it saves me time and money from having to buy one… especially since I'll have a new baby by then."

"You're expecting?" Ashley asked as she help Jes step into the gown.

"Yeah. I'm just about 4 months along… it's why we're having the wedding after the baby's born."

"Congratulations. So we're looking at a September wedding?"

"Yep. September 4. It was my dad's birthday, so it's kinda a tribute to him… since he won't be there. He was killed in action ten years ago."

"I think that's beautiful. So just for when we're making notes here, you'll be how many months post-baby for the wedding?"

"Well, baby is due July 1, so probably about 2 months." Jes said.

"Okay, well… I think we'll be waiting to do alterations til closer to the date. This way, baby weight loss and stuff is pretty regulated and we won't have to do any last minute alterations right before your big day."

"Awesome. I like the sound of that." Jes smiled. "So, can I see what this one looks like?"

Ashley laughed. "Of course. Here, let's turn around and face the mirrors."

Jes turned and her jaw dropped. "Wow!"

The gown was a cream coloured silk gown with lace straps and some beadwork. Ashley grabbed one of the coloured belts and wrapped it around Jes' natural waist. "What do you think?"

"I like the colour, it's not white but it's not too yellow." Jes turned a little. "I'm not sure I like the natural waistline though."

"Do you want to show them?"

"Sure." Jes smiled. She stepped out of the room and unto the pedestal. "What do you guys think?"

Jacquie squealed. "It's beautiful."

"Jay… Will?"

They were speechless. They were in disbelief that the young girl that had come to live with them all those years ago was now the woman in front of them. "Uh… wow."

"I like it." Gaby said. "I'm just not sure about the waistline. Especially how it would look after she has the baby."

"She's right about that." Jacquie said standing up and examining the gown closer.

"Well, you're all in agreement with Jes." Ashley said. "I'll scrap the natural waistline gowns as well we the dropped waists. We'll look more at A-line gowns and empire waist gowns."

Jacquie helped Jes off the pedestal. Ashley was pulling gowns out of the dressing room that weren't fitting Jes' criteria. Jacquie helped Jes get out of the dress and then returned to sit with the others. Ashley appeared with a couple more gowns. These ones had the clothespins attached to the hangers.

"These are what your entourage picked out for you, as well as your choices." Ashley smiled. "Turns out, you all seem to see the same thing for your wedding day. There were 4 choices. That's pretty rare. It means your friends and family know you well. Which one would you like to try first?"

Jes looked over the options in front of her. Two of her favourites had the most clips. She pointed to them. "One of those two."

"Sure thing. Turn around and let's get you into one." Ashley helped her step into the selected gown and once she was clipped in, as the gown was way too big, Ashley spun her to look into the mirrors. "What do you think of this one?"

Jes took in what she was seeing. She hardly recognized herself in the gown. It was an empire waist gown that hugged her curves. It was an ivory satin gown with lace and bead accents. It already had a coloured belt. The whole dress had a regal look to it. "I'm not a fan of the colour of the belt, but I really like the style. Let's go show them." She was grinning from ear to ear. "I like this one." She announced as she walked out.

Everyone's jaw dropped. There were cries of "Oh my God!" and "Wow!"

Jes stepped on the pedestal and Ashley rearranged the skirt and train. "So, what do you guys think of this one?" Ashley asked, taking a step back.

"Mom, I think it's a knock out!" Eva exclaimed. "You look like a princess in it."

"I have to agree with my niece." Gaby said. "You look so regal. It's exactly what I've pictured you in."

"Me too!" Jacquie said as tears began to fall from her eyes. "You deserve this, Jes… you've been waiting so long… I love that one on you."

Jay stood up and stood next to her. "You look gorgeous." He wiped away a tear and hoped no one else had seen it.

"Was that a tear, Detective?" Jes asked.

Jay nodded. "Jes, after everything… I just… I've always wanted this, but I didn't know it would be so fast."

"Do you wanna try a veil?" Ashley asked. She could tell that this gown was definitely going to be in the top ones.

Jes nodded, wiping away a tear. She wished that her parents could've been there… that her adoptive mom could've been there to see this. She missed them. She knelt a little to allow Ashley to clip a veil in her hair. She looked back up and gasped.

"Now, what do you think?" Ashley whispered.

"Wow." Jes wiped away a tear.

Jacquie extended the box of tissues. "Jes? What's going through your mind right now?"

"I… I… I didn't think I'd ever be able to have this. I never thought I'd get the family I've always dreamed of. Now… I have two great kids, a baby on the way… a man who loves me despite everything he knows about me." Jes cried. "I miss my parents…" She turned to Jay and Will. "I wish our mom was here… my dad…"

Ashley rubbed her back. "It's okay. Those emotions are all okay. Just take your time."

Jes took another tissue as Will stood up and stood in front of her. He took her hands. "Jes, I know I haven't been there and I haven't been the best brother the last few years… but I know this… Mom, your dad… they're all here with you. They're here in spirit. They're always with you, always have been and they always will be."

Jes whimpered a little as she bent down to hug her brother. "I love you, Will."

"I love you too, Jes." He rubbed her back. "Do you want to keep going?"

Jes nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yeah. There's one more I want to try."

"Okay." Ashley extended her hand. "Let's go try that last one. Just remember to breathe."

Jes got out of the gown and stepped into the last one. This one was a satin organza gown with gathered organza that sort of crisscrossed over her stomach. There was a beautiful beaded appliqué that created an empire waist look. The skirt was multiple layers of overlapping organza that made the skirt almost look like it was made of large flower petals. It wasn't one she would've picked, but it had everyone else's clips on it. "What's this thing?" She pointed to what looked like a weird shaped shell at the top of the dress.

"That is literally called a crumb catcher." Ashley snickered.

"Can it be like folded down?" Jes asked. The last thing she needed was to have food fall into the dress on her wedding day.

"Sure. Hang on." Ashley went and got a few pins. "Let's try this." She pinned the catcher down.

Jes looked at the difference. With it pinned down, it gave a gathered look to the organza and gave the neckline a soft sweetheart shape. "I like this. It's a soft look. What about straps?"

"I know that this one doesn't come with them, but… we can have them added on… and it won't cost you a thing." She pulled out fabric that was similar to gown Jes was wearing. "Show me how wide you want them."

Jes used her fingers to show her ideal width. She watched in awe as Ashley gathered the fabric in a similar way as the top of the gown and pinned them to the dress. "Wow. You made it look like the crumb catcher thingy."

"That's the point. Now, what's your ideal colour?"

"Purple." Jes whispered. "A sort of orchid purple."

"Like your bangs?"

"Yeah." Jes turned back to the mirror. "I think if the belt could create that empire waist appearance."

"Be right back." Ashley smiled. She returned a couple seconds later with a beautiful purple belt. "Now, we could lift that appliqué and put it on a belt like this… and you'd have everything you're looking for. And before you ask on pricing for all this extra stuff… I've been told to tell you that it's a gift, from all of us… should you choose to buy from us."

"What do you mean?" Jes asked as Ashley tied the purple sash into a bow in the back.

"I know who you are… and what you've been through…"

"My brothers." Jes sighed.

"Yeah. But considering everything, I'd like to help you too. Every bride deserves to have exactly what they want on their special day." She touched Jes' shoulder gently. "Shall we show them?"

Jes blushed. "Yes." She lifted the skirt and stepped out into the main area. She was met by absolute silence. "Uh, guys?"

"Uh, Jes…" Jay stood up. "Between this one and that other one… I'm on this one 100%."

"Me too!" Eva's hand shot up in the air. "It's like a fairy-tale dress."

"Me three." Jacquie's hands flew to her mouth. "Is that one of our choices?"

Ashley nodded. "Yes. She just hated the crumb catcher and wanted straps… I fixed that."

"I like the modifications." Will said. "It makes it a 'one-of-a-kind' type of gown."

"Can I see a veil?" Jes asked.

"Definitely. I'll get one that goes more with this gown." Ashley went to a rack with a bunch of veils and came back with a single layer, waltz length veil. "Here we go." She clipped it in and let it fall over her shoulders and back. "You look beautiful, Jes."

"It's the one." Jes said. "It's perfect."

"Jes, we said we'd try those other stores. Remember?" Will pointed out.

"We're open until 9 tonight." Ashley smiled. "I know that choosing a gown is a big deal. It's fine to go look at other ones and come back. If you don't come back, then it's okay."

Jes smiled. "Thank you. I'm pretty sure we'll be back."

Ashley nodded and helped Jes back to change. "I'll be here until 9. Let me know what you choose, and we can figure out the paper work after."

"Thank you again. It's perfect, I just need to show them that."

"I get it. Trust me." Ashley hugged her.

Jes grabbed her purse from Jacquie and they headed out to the mall to check out other dresses.

* * *

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* * *

They went to one of the two bridal stores in West Edmonton Mall, but they didn't have anything that made Jes feel the way she'd felt in the last dress from the Bridal House. She also wasn't super impressed with the attention the consultant gave her. She was more interested in flirting with Jay and Will than helping Jes find a gown. After about half an hour there, they thanked the attendant (with sarcasm) and headed out.

"Where's the other store?" Gaby asked.

Jes pointed. "Around that corner. I heard a lot of good things about it."

"Cool." Gaby smiled. "Maybe when it's my turn, I'll come shop up here."

"You and Matt back together?" Jay asked.

"We'll see." Gaby sighed. "This the place?"

Jacquie and Jes nodded. "Yeah."

They walked in and took off their shoes. An older Chinese woman greeted them, whose tag read 'owner'. "Welcome." She said. "Who's the lucky bride?"

Jes stepped forward. "I am."

The owner looked at her from head to toe. "Is this joke?"

Jes shook her head. "No. I'm the bride."

"We don't have dresses for people your size." The owner crossed her arms. "You'll have to go."

"I beg your pardon?!" Gaby got right into the owner's face. "What do you mean by that?"

The owner pointed to Jes. "We don't have dresses for fat, gluttonous brides. Leave. Now." She turned on her heel and went to leave.

Jay grabbed Gaby's arm, preventing her from pouncing on the very rude woman. "Gaby, let her be. She obviously doesn't want any sales ever again." He whispered. He then raised his voice. "We'll be calling the Better Business Bureau, and I'm pretty sure all of our friends on Facebook and Twitter will _love_ to hear about your business practices." He pushed Gaby out of the store.

By this point, Jes had run out of the store in tears. Eva, Jacquie and Will chased after her. Jes collapsed to her knees in a corner near the bathrooms. She was hyperventilating. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and she couldn't breathe. Eva dropped next to her and hugged her tightly. Jay and Gaby quickly joined them, fuming. Eva turned to her uncles, her eyes pleading. Jay wanted to strangle that owner. He saw Jes. It crushed him to see her like this. This whole day was supposed to be special and fun, and that bitch had just turned it into a nightmare. Especially since this morning, they had told her that she wasn't fat or any of those other horrible labels people love to put on people. He grabbed his phone and dialled Antonio.

"Tonio." He said. "We have a problem, and we need you here."

"What's going on?" Antonio asked, worried that something was wrong with Jes and the baby.

"How far from West Edmonton Mall are you?" Jay could hear Antonio ask Diego to Google it.

"10 minutes." Antonio answered. "How fast do you need us there?"

"I needed you here 5 minutes ago."

"I'll be there. Text me where to meet you, and we'll be there." Antonio hung up.

Jay turned back to group. "Antonio's on the way. We're going to go down the lower level, and we're going to grab lunch, then we're going to go back to the Bridal House. Fuck that bitch and her stupid shop…"

Jes jumped up and threw herself into Jay's arms. "Thank you."

"Jes, I would do anything for you. I only want to see you smile and be happy again." He held her tightly. He kissed the top of her head. "Come on, let's go get that niece or nephew of mine something to eat."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio parked the SUV that he'd borrowed from Javier and ran into the mall, Diego and Javier hot on his heels. They quickly found the restaurant where the rest of the group was waiting. They quickly joined the group and Antonio went straight to Jes. "Baby, I'm here."

"Antonio1" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm here. I ain't leaving you." He kissed her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm better now that you're here." She put her head on his shoulder. "Did Jay tell you?"

"No, but I have a feeling everyone at this table is itching to tell me what the hell happened that got you so upset."

"You're right there." Will said. He took the lead and laid everything out for him.

Antonio could feel his blood begin to boil. He caught the looks that Gaby, Javi and his kids were giving him. He must have had the 'Pissed off Dominican' look on his face because their facial expressions were saying 'stay calm'. He took Jes' hand. "Babe, don't take anything of what that witch had to say to heart. They're all lies. You're beautiful and you're going to have the best wedding ever."

Gaby nodded, sipping her water while trying not to laugh. Eva had to kick Diego under the table because he was about to start laughing out loud.. Antonio just shook his head.

"Are you guys going to go back to the original store… the first one you looked at?" Antonio asked.

"Yes." Jacquie said. "She found **the** dress there… and we all pushed her to go to other stores." She turned to her best friend. "I'm so sorry, Jes… we should've trusted your feelings about that gown."

"It's fine. We've come to learn that there a lot of people who still think that beauty is based on Barbie instead of human beings." Jes smiled and looked to Jay. "I'm taking that you're going to be writing a very heated, well-phrased letter?"

Jay smirked. "Yes, a letter and a call to the Better Business Bureau. That woman has no respect."

A perky waitress appeared at the end of their table. "All ready to order?"

Antonio nodded and they all placed their food and beverage orders. The waitress collected their menus and went to place their order to the kitchen. The group changed the subject to photographers and locations for wedding pictures. The mood changed and they laughed, and ate to their fill.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio, Javi and Diego would follow them to the Bridal House and they'd go look at costs for renting vests and ties for the wedding while the others ordered the gown. From there, they'd check out Moore's for pricing option on the vest and tie rentals. Once they had a price comparison, they'd choose. It was easy for them since everyone was here now, so they'd be able to get measured. The guys, except for Will and Jay went straight to the Tuxedo part of the boutique while Jes and the others went to meet up with Ashley. Ashley could see that something had happened at the other stores. Jes explained what had happened, and a few tissues later; Ashley had her back in her dream gown, straps, sash and veil included. She stepped back out onto the pedestal. Tears of joys replaced the tears of pain from earlier. Jes squealed in glee.

"This is it!" Jes said. "I'm done shopping. Ring it in, do whatever you have to… This is my gown."

Jay and Will nodded. "It is."

Eva ran to her mother. "It's perfect, Mom. It's exactly what you need… it's just perfect!"

Ashley smiled. "Well, since we're all decided, let's get you out of it, and we'll place the order."

After about 25 minutes, Jes and Ashley were going over the tiny details of the gown. Deciding which size to order, dependant on how much weight she'd gain and lose after having the baby. They also discussed the custom colour for the sash and the veil. The veil was simple, waltz length but was covered on both sides with Swarovski crystals. The girls thanked Ashley and headed off to see what colour options were available for the vests while Jay and Will stayed behind to cover the tab. Ashley led them to the computer and began to input the information.

"How long before it arrives?" Will asked.

"About four months, maybe six. Depends on how long it takes to get made." Ashley input the last bit of information into the computer.

"These dresses have to get made?" Jay asked. "I always thought…"

"They were mass produced?"

Jay and Will nodded. Ashley laughed. "A lot of people think that, but designers only make gowns as they're ordered."

"Works for us." Jay smiled. "What's the damage?"

"The gown is $975.00 and the veil is $200.00. Just add the sales tax to the final price."

"Could've been worse." Will commented.

"You guys were right about her, she doesn't have the most expensive taste." Ashley smiled. "So you only need to put down 25% now and then the rest when she comes in for her first fitting… unless the wedding's not here?"

"No, it's here." Jay said. "It'll be here. Once the baby's born, and she's good to travel, we're going… well, at least she and Antonio will be coming back up here with the kids."

"Okay, well… however you want to pay, and then we're good to go." Ashley said. "If she wants to look at bridesmaid dresses, she just has to go upstairs… all the collections are up there."

Jay and Will paid their part and headed off to see what mischief the others had gotten into concerning the stuff for the guys.

* * *

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* * *

"Well?" Antonio asked as Will and Jay joined them.

"It's ordered. It'll be here in the next 4 to 6 months. Turns out, they don't just have a bunch of premade dresses just lying around." Will said.

"I coulda told you that." Jes laughed. "So, these are the two that Antonio and I like for the groomsmen… he's getting silver." She held up to vests.

"They're very purple." Will commented. "Congrats, Jay! You've been promoted to a grape!"

Jay smacked Will outside the head. "It's definitely a different colour than I usually wear, but if it's what you guys want, I'll wear it."

Antonio turned to Jes. "We should've gone with the neon pink one with a like highlighter green tie."

Jes snapped her fingers. "Drat. Too bad I don't want to punish my bridesmaids by wearing that colour combination."

"Thank God!" Gaby exclaimed. "I like it. It's a great purple. Not too purple but not too pink either. Looks like some of those purples we saw with the gowns."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Jes grinned. She was feeling so much better now. "Um, so Antonio and Diego have the pricing and are wanting to go check out Moore's before they close, and I really want to look at bridesmaid dresses, so I was thinking you guys go price hunting, and we'll look at dresses here."

Antonio turned to the guys. "Sounds good. We'll meet back at the house?"

Jes nodded and kissed him. "Yeah. We're not going to take too long. I looked online and have a couple of ones to pull… especially now that I've got my dress picked out."

Jay handed Jacquie the keys. "You drive. Not her. Okay, she needs to be pampered and spoiled."

"Yes, Jay." Jacquie smiled and put the keys in her pocket. "Now, go… before they forget you here and you're stuck wearing a dress."

The guys headed to the SUV and the girls headed upstairs. They were greeted by another perky consultant. She introduced herself as Gina. "So, Ashley has shown me your gown and the colour for the sash. It's a beautiful colour."

"Thank you." Jes blushed.

"So, who's who in our group here."

"This is Jacquie." Jes said. "She's the maid of honour."

Jacquie smiled. "I'm good with almost anything as long as there are straps."

Gina nodded. "We can definitely work with that."

Jes introduced Gaby next. "This is Gaby. She's my future sister-in-law and bridesmaid."

"Hi Gaby." Gina shook her hand. "What about you? What styles do you like?"

"I like that one shoulder look with a little glitter or sheer." Gaby smiled.

"This is my daughter, Eva." Jes smiled. "She's the junior bridesmaid."

"Hi Eva." Gina looked between Jes and Eva. Jes could tell she had questions about that, but she'd explain it if the questions came up. "What are we thinking about?"

"Something that I could use again… for my Quinceañera next year. Something that has sparkle." Eva said timidly.

"Okay and Jes… do you want them to have all the same dress? What length?" Gina turned back to her.

"I'd like the colours to be the same or similar and the styles that best suit them. I think a shorter dress would be more practical as some of the pictures are going to be taken in a field."

"Any particular designer?"

Jes thought about it. "I like Alfred Angelo a lot. It's the same designer of my gown, and the variety of purples that is in his collection is great."

"Sure thing. Follow me."

They passed through all the floor-length gowns in a variety of reds, blues and blacks before reaching the cocktail length dresses that were more vibrant in colour. Gina pulled out a scooped neckline dress covered in silver sequins that had an overlay of chiffon. It was very summery and youthful. There was a natural waistline to the dress but there was a wrapped effect that made the dress appear to have an empire waist. Upon closer inspection, the top of the gown looked similar to the top of her own gown.

"What about this one for Eva?"

Jes looked to Eva. "What do you think?"

Eva looked at it very closely. "It's gorgeous… but… does it have straps?"

Gina nodded. "The spaghetti straps are optional and come with the dress. We can even customize them to have rhinestones if you'd like a little extra glitter."

Eva turned to Jes. "Can I try it on?"

Jes nodded. "Sure, once we have something for everyone to try on."

Gina handed Eva the gown. "Just hang on to that one and we'll see what else we can find. I can also show you the floor length one in case you'd prefer it for the Quinceañera."

Jes knew a little bit about that Latin American custom, but she still had a little time to talk it over with Antonio to get Eva the gown she wanted for that special event. She watched, as Gina looked Gaby over before pulling a beautiful one shouldered gown. This one seemed to be a strapless gown but had chiffon over it like Eva's. That chiffon swept over the left shoulder and had tiny little crystals on it. The back was simple, the strap just dropped down the left shoulder and connected to the dress. It had a natural waist that was accentuated by a small crystal belt. The one that Gina pulled was in a 'grape' colour. It was a little darker than the colour of sash on Jes' gown, but it really popped. Gaby took the dress and held it against herself.

"Wow! Tia Gaby that's really pretty!" Eva exclaimed. "It really makes your eyes pop."

Gaby looked in the mirror. "I'll try it."

Gina smiled. "Good. One to go. Now, Jacquie… there aren't many dresses that come with sleeves already attached. So unless you're good with spaghetti straps, your options are a little more limited. This one I think would be a good fit… it has a similar style to Jes' gown and has flutter sleeves on it. It's very classy and has the layered skirt similar to Jes'. There are a few little beads all over it, but it's a very gorgeous gown." She pulled out the dress.

Jacquie liked it, but she felt it made her look a little older. That may be a good thing though, as many people mistake her for a high school student. "I'll try it." She did think it resembled Jes' dress a little bit, especially in the bust and body part with the crisscrossing and gathering. She had to admit the sleeves were pretty darn cute.

"Okay, so I'll let you girls try those on, and we'll go from there." Gina showed them the way to the dressing rooms. Once they were changing, Gina asked. "Eva is your stepdaughter?"

Jes sighed. "No, I adopted her, so she is my daughter… my husband was married before… they divorced and then his ex was killed. It was in her will that I adopt the kids so that there wasn't any confusion and the such."

"Wow. That's amazing. I think that you and Eva share some similarities… I just figured that you're 26 and she's 14… I highly doubt you would've had her at 12."

"That's true too. My fiancé is ten years older than me… so it's something we're commonly asked."

Eva stepped out first. "Mom, what do you think?"

Jes looked at her and motioned for her to spin around. "I think it suits you. It's not too 'little girl' but it's also not going to make you look like you're 30. How do you like it?"

Eva twirled around. "I really like it… I think with straps, it'll be even better."

Gina ran to the back room and returned with two rhinestone straps. "Let's try these." She pinned the straps on and repositioned Eva in the mirror. "How about now?"

Eva's jaw dropped. "I love it. Mom, will it work?"

"If you're happy, I'm happy." Jes hugged her. "If it's the one… we'll put it through right away."

"Yes!" Eva squealed. Then she froze. "Could I see the full length one… just for my Quinceañera… since traditionally we have a long dress for the main part and then change into a shorter one for the dancing."

"Definitely." Jes kissed the top of her head. "It's on me, and you can have what you want."

Eva ran to find the full-length version of the dress as Gaby came out of the change room. The dress fit her like a glove. She took in the full look in the mirror. "Whatta ya think?"

Jes looked at it. "It's gorgeous. It's a little darker than Eva's but a little brighter than Jacquie's… I'm kinda digging this multi-tonal purple thing we've got going."

"I love it. It goes with my hair up or down… don't need complex jewellery. I say I'm good with this one."

Jes hugged her. "It's perfect."

Jacquie poked her head out. "My turn?"

Jes laughed. "Yeah, come on out slow poke."

Jacquie slowly walked out. "I really like it, but it's not the purple you want."

Jes' jaw dropped. The dress that Jacquie was wearing clung to her every curve and it almost shimmered in the light. "WOW!"

"You like it?" Jacquie looked at her reflection. "It does look like yours. Here in the top." She motioned to the ruching and crisscrossing.

"You are a knockout!" Jes put her hands to her mouth. "Hot damn, girl!"

"Aunt Jacquie… Uncle Kevin won't know what hit him." Eva exclaimed as she returned with the floor-length version of her dress. "You're rocking that dress."

Jacquie turned to Jes. "These dresses are in three different shades of purple."

"So?" Jes sat on one of the big padded chairs in front of the mirror. "I think it's a great thing. The dresses suit you."

Gaby came back from getting changed; she'd snuck off while Jacquie was showing off her gown. "Do you know how much these cost?"

Jes shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Why not?" Jacquie sat next to Jes.

"Because they're part of my gift to you guys for being my bridesmaids. You guys have to take time off for the wedding, fly up here again… I'm buying everything… except shoes… you need to get shoes that you're comfortable in… especially for pictures since we're going to be in grass and fields for portraits."

"Jes… that's a lot…" Jacquie stuttered. "You can't spend all this… with a baby on the way…"

"Stop." Jes put her hands up. "Please. I'm not having a squad like those women on 'Say Yes to the Dress'. I don't want huge drama and fluff… marriages aren't made up of fairy tales and wedding stuff… they're made up of hard work, love and respect… something we all know something about."

Gaby turned to Jes. "If you're paying for all three of our gowns, let us help pay for Eva's Quinceañera gown."

"I can agree to that." Jes smiled.

Arm in arm they went to order their gowns. All in all, despite the drama of the day, they felt as if they'd accomplished a lot. They headed home, singing along to the radio.

* * *

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* * *

The girls had beaten the guys home, so they called the others to join them at the main house to make supper. Jes asked Constanza to help her learn another Dominican dish. She wanted to learn as much about Antonio's culture and roots as possible because it was about to become part of her life, and it would be their child's culture too. She could easily teach their children about their French Canadian culture, but the Dominican side, she'd need her in-laws' help. Gaby and the kids had already started teaching her some of the key Spanish words and phrases. Jes was now just waiting for that special moment to show Antonio how much he meant to her. Gaby had insisted on teaching her all the swear words first.

"The first thing you need to know in any new language is the bad stuff, this way if you hear it when people are talking about you… well you know what they're saying." She had insisted.

Jes turned to Constanza. "What's a dish that would be good for cold weather?"

Constanza smiled. "I think now is time for you to learn the family recipe for sancocho."

"Oh! Wow… I didn't think I could learn that one yet." Jes blushed.

"And why not? You are marrying Antonio; raising his children… giving me a new grandchild… now is good. Also good cure for the nausea."

"That I would like."

So they set out to collect the necessary ingredients. Whatever they didn't have, Gaby and Javi ran to get at the store. Snow had begun to fall again. Jes was busy cooking but part of her worried of where Antonio, her brothers, Javier and Diego were. She turned to Gaby. "Can you call them?"

Gaby nodded and called. "Jay?" She listened. "Okay, hang on." She turned to Jes. "They hit the ditch. They're okay, but they can't get out."

Jes sighed. "I have AMA… but it's useless unless I'm there to show my card. Hand me the phone." She asked Jay exactly where they were. She wrote down the information and told them she'd call back in a few minutes, reminding them to make sure the vehicle was still running and that they didn't get out for anyone. She then dialled the AMA number. "Hi, my fiancé, son and brothers are stuck in a ditch, but I'm the holding member. Is there something that can be done?" Jes let the attendant explain the procedure. Jes then gave all the information on the vehicle, their location and her card information. She ended the call. Then, she took a picture of her card and texted it to all of the people in the stuck SUV. She called Jay back and explained the situation. "They said it'll probably be about 10 minutes before they get there. Show them the picture of my card and they'll get you out. Make sure to engage the 4x4 before trying to come home. Drive safe. I love you guys."

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* * *

The guys arrived about an hour later, but safely. There was no damage to the SUV, but Antonio was a little shaken. "Babe, I know you said winter here was different than Chicago… but holy hell… spinning around on a highway… not pleasant."

Jes kissed him. "I'm just glad you're all safe. Did you guys solve the vest and tie situation?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. We're going to go through Moore's… it was about half the price of the other place, plus they're giving us a discount to buy Diego a new suit."

"Perfect. And you really made sure they understood I wanted ties and not bowties right?"

"Yes, dear." He smirked. "Smells good in here. What did you make?"

Jes smiled mischievously. "Your mom taught me the family recipe for sancocho."

"Really?" He looked to his mother. She must really like Jes, because she hadn't taught that recipe to Victoria until after the twins were born and Gaby only learned it in the last couple years. He didn't even know the recipe.

"She earned it." Constanza said from the stove. "Plus she values our culture, something that some people don't care about."

Antonio knew his mother was referring to Laura and her lack of interest in their Dominican culture. He also knew that Jes strongly believe that culture and heritage made them who they were. They had had a long discussion on the flight in concerning how the new baby was going to be raised, as he or she was going to be of a more mixed heritage than Eva and Diego. "It smells great, and I'm pretty sure that hot stew is going to warm everyone up. It's freezing out there with the wind."

Jes looked outside at the flags flapping or rather being shredded by the wind. "Wind is blowing at probably between 75 and 80 km/h… add in the already cold temperature… it's probably closer to -50 degrees Celsius out there."

"That's really fucking cold." Javier exclaimed. "How can people still function out here? Don't you guys get snow days or something like that?"

Jacquie and Jes had to refrain from laughing too hard. They'd heard this from many different people over the years. Alberta is the only place in the world that doesn't shut down. Doesn't matter if it's 60 below or tornadoes or flooding or blizzards, it's business as usual. Antonio and his family looked to them as if they'd lost their minds. Jay just shook his head. He'd experienced winter here once when he'd surprised Jes over a reading week her second year in. It had been damn cold.

Jes took a deep breath to calm herself and then explained. "Alberta never shuts down. School buses might not run, but everything else is still open and people are expected to go to work. When I lived here, there were days that the bus didn't run so my parents didn't make me go to school, but in town, parents were expected to drive their kids to and from school. Your car could be buried under five feet of snow and your boss is still going to expect you in. In schools, they just make recess be inside instead of on the playground. In some summer storms, we just put the schools into tornado warnings and we run tornado drills. We get flooding, hail… everything. Alberta is the one place that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and you'll have a new weather forecast. We can experience all 4 seasons in the span of one day. The year I was born… well… my dad told me that we had snow every single month, even in July and August. It didn't stay, but it still snowed."

"Antonio, I think your wife is tougher than the entire population of Chicago and New York when it comes to the cold." Javier said, quickly ducking as a potholder flew at his head.

"I'm just adjustable." Jes said proudly. "Only thing I don't like about Chicago's winter is the humidity… at least here… it's dry cold or dry heat."

"You just don't like that the humidity messes with your curls." Jay joked, narrowly missing the other potholder.

"I think we can eat now." Constanza said. "The rice cooked and the sancocho is perfect. Mijos, let's set the table… we eat… then we figure out how we're going to get back to the guest house in the cold."

It didn't take long for the 5 Dawson grandchildren to set out the dishes and cutlery. Soon the whole family sat and ate. They were sharing embarrassing stories concerning everyone's childhood when there was a large flash outside and the house was plunged into darkness.

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* * *

 _ **A/N: So what on Earth just happened? Wait and see… more chapters will be posted over the next week since it's Spring Break here in Alberta. In case some people are unsure of what the AMA is, here it's the Alberta Motor Association. Think of it as CAA or AAA. The experience Jes had shopping for her wedding gown is actually what I went through for my wedding gown… and yes I was told that a store didn't carry dresses for "Fat People". Let me know what you think! Love always, Nicole**_


	25. Leave The Night On

_**A/N: Well… where were we… oh! Right… Power outage. We pick up where we left off...**_

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* * *

"What was that!?" Eva cried out.

Antonio felt her cling to his side. He couldn't see anything. There was a little light coming off the burner on the stove. At least one benefit was that everything here ran on natural gas, so if the power went out, they still could have heat from the oven and stove. He heard shuffling around him. "I don't know, Eva. Jes?" He asked.

Her voice was distant. "I'm getting a flashlight, hang on."

There was some more shuffling and soon the entire kitchen was lit by a very bright flashlight. Jes pointed the light to the ceiling and pulled out a bag of candles. "I'm glad things are where I left them." She laughed. "Okay, so I have candles and flashlights. Everyone take one and check to make sure the doors and windows are closed and locked."

They did as they were asked. Antonio followed Jes to the utility room where she opened a closet and began to pull out coveralls. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"I'm going to the end of the driveway to see what the hell just happened. If you haven't noticed, there's no light anywhere. Even the town is black. Sometimes, something happens in the country and it affects everyone." She zipped up the heavy, insulated coveralls. "I'll be fine. This isn't my first rodeo."

"Jes, it may not be your first rodeo, but you're pregnant… there are some things you just shouldn't do… it's dangerous out there right now. We don't know what happened. You can't possibly know what's out there… down power lines… coyotes." He argued. He didn't want her out there. They were better off waiting inside until someone came to check on them. That had to happen here, right?

"Antonio, I know how to shoot… I have rifles… and ammunition. I also know how to handle downed power lines. Don't forget… I was a country a long time before moving to the big cities. This is the norm for me. When it gets this cold, shit happens, and we're usually the last ones that power companies worry about. They tend to forget we exist."

Well, that answered his last question. "Let me come with you at least." He countered. He had no clue of what to do, but at least he could protect her. "Me and Jay. We'll come."

Jay appeared around the corner. "I heard my name. What's up… what the hell are you doing, Jes?!"

"Your sister wants to go outside to see what's happening." Antonio crossed his arms.

"Hell no!" Jay blocked the doorway. "You're not going outside."

Jes grabbed a key off the wall and opened the cupboard that was literally in the wall. She pulled out a .303 rifle. "You really wanna try me?" She checked to see if it was loaded and flipped on the safety.

"What the hell do you need that for?" Jay had no idea his sister even knew how to hold a rifle, never mind check it and use it.

"Well, Antonio thinks there's coyotes outside, and I need to see what we're dealing with. So either I go alone, or you two bundle up in the extra coveralls in that closet and one of you takes this rifle and I'll give my .22 to the other one and we go figure this shit out."

Neither Jay nor Antonio had ever seen Jes this way. They both knew that this must have been stuff her father had trained her in before he'd been killed. They looked to each other, knowing they weren't going to win and nodded. They pulled on coveralls and another jacket since it was well below freezing with the wind. Jay took the .303 and Antonio took the .22. They both took extra ammunition, not that they thought they needed it, but their military training had taught them that being over prepared was better than not being prepared at all. They pulled on winter boots, toques and gloves and followed Jes out into the frigid night.

It was bone chilling cold. Despite their warm clothing and multiple layers, the wind still bit through. They weren't going to be able to be out too long without risking frostbite. They followed Jes down the driveway. She had a high-beamed flashlight that lit quite a distance. She flashed it around the yard and down the driveway. It was then that they saw it.

"Fuck!" She cried out.

Jay and Antonio followed the beam of light. There at the end of the driveway was a downed power line. The wires hung precariously low. Sparks were flying everywhere as the line hit the mailbox and the snow. The wind wasn't helping. Jes didn't get too close but she aimed the light further down the road. Sure enough 5 other posts had been snapped by the wind. There were splinters of wood across the road and fields. This was a much bigger problem than she had originally foreseen. She stomped back to the guys.

"We need to find a way to report this. That problem… is going to take days… not hours to fix. The lines still live."

Antonio nodded. "Let's go back inside."

"We have to call the fire department too. Put them on alert." Jes said.

"Why?"

"The power lines are still live… any power that can still go to the buildings is a risk of shorting something and causing a fire. Plus, I think it's best if everyone gets escorted out of here to a hotel or something to stay warm." Jes said.

Antonio knew that she meant everyone but her. "Jes, if we go, we all go. That means you too."

"I'm not leaving this place unattended." Jes crossed her arms, the light from her flashlight shone in his eyes.

"Ask Damien to stay… or I'll stay… but I'm not leaving you here to freeze in this house until this problem is solved." Antonio handed Jay his rifle and pulled her to him. "It's not good for you or the baby."

Jes sighed. There were times she was forgetting about the baby. She was running on instinct right now. "Let's go inside. You guys look like popsicles."

"You're not?" Jay quipped.

"No, but let's go." She started walking towards the house when there was a loud crash followed by an explosion.

They spun around to see a small car had spun out and crashed into the downed power pole. There was a fire in the engine and from what they could see, there was no movement coming from inside the car. Jes shone the light towards the car. There were two people that they could clearly make out in the car. Jes started to run towards the vehicle; Antonio and Jay ran after her to stop her.

"Jes!" Jay called. "Stop! You're gonna get hurt!"

Antonio slid and pulled her down on top of him. "Jes, stop! Think about the baby… the kids… you can't just run in there."

Jay helped them up. "Jes, we gotta call 9-1-1. That's it. Okay… we can't go in there with live wires and shit… we're not equipped or trained to handle that."

Jes was struggling against them. "That car is on fire and they're not able to get out! We HAVE to do SOMETHING!" She cried.

By this point, Javier, Will, Victoria and Gaby had all joined them.

"We called 9-1-1… Jacquie's on the phone with them right now." Will said. "Do you have extra blankets and stuff, so once they get here, we can help those people?"

Jes nodded numbly. "Inside."

"Then, go with Antonio, get the stuff ready. I can hear the sirens. Help is coming." Will looked to Antonio. "Get her inside… now!"

Antonio picked her up and ran back to the house. Jes gave up struggling. She knew when she'd lost the battle. She also knew that while what she wanted to do was the right thing, she had to worry about their child that was growing inside her. That baby was the priority now, especially since it was a miracle. They got in the house. Jacquie was still on the phone. Emmanuel and Constanza had the children in the living room playing a board game by candlelight. Jes was shaking and she wasn't sure anymore if it was from what she'd seen or if it was from the cold night. Antonio put her on the ground.

She turned to him. "We have to help them Antonio. I can't stand to think they might die because I couldn't help them."

"Jes, you're not Wonder Woman… you're not bulletproof… and you're certainly not able to touch live electrical wires to walk through fire. There's no reason to blame yourself for this." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her arms. "I want to help them, but we're not trained in this. Let's get the blankets. At least once they're out, Gaby and Will are both there and they're trained in medical careers. They can help a lot."

Jes nodded. "The blankets are in the steamer trunk upstairs. It's in the closet."

Antonio kissed her. "I'll be right back. Stay here. Once it's safe, we'll go back out."

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* * *

Jes walked over to the window. She could see the fire trucks and ambulance had arrived. There were also yellow flashing lights over what Jes assumed was a power company truck. The downed line wasn't arcing anymore which meant they'd killed the power supply. Jacquie walked up behind her.

"Jes, this isn't on you."

"I know, but it… this shouldn't happen. I…"

"Did what you could." Jacquie finished the thought. "The fact that you saw this happen, gave them the best chance of survival and you know it."

"I hope they're okay." Jes turned and hugged her best friend.

Antonio was back. "Let's go bring these blankets, and see what they need."

Jes nodded. "You're letting me go back out there?"

"You know this area… you know the people… it kinda helps to explain why the rest of us are here."

Antonio knew Jes was upset. "Jes, don't forget, you've got a cast on… there's no way you can do much with one functioning arm."

Jes groaned. "I don't want to deal with them."

"With who?"

"The firefighters… the paramedics… even most of the RCMP… they went to school with us in high school." Jacquie clarified. "We were hoping to avoid running into them before the reunion tomorrow."

"Ah." Antonio could understand where Jes was coming from, however, his 20-year reunion was happening this summer, and he hadn't even thought about it. "Well, we may as well get this over with now… before everyone out there gets arrested for trespassing or something."

Jacquie put on her heavy-duty parka and mitts and together they headed out to go see what they could do to help. Antonio draped a blanket around Jes' shoulders. With her cast, it was hard to keep that hand warm. She couldn't wait for the cast to come off, but it was still two weeks away. They made their way down the driveway to see that the passenger had been pulled out safely and was being checked out by Will and Gaby. The driver had also been safely pulled out and was being loaded into the ambulance. There were a couple firemen that were putting out the engine fire.

One of the firefighters approached the trio. He pushed his helmet up and his eyes widened when he saw Jes. "Jeslyn Halstead?"

"Hey, Jonny." She said. "Are they going to be okay?"

Jonny nodded. "Yeah… uh, what are you doing here? I thought no one lived here."

"I live in Chicago… but when I come back, I stay here. It's still my farm." She motioned to Jacquie. "Jacquie's parents still keep an eye on it for me."

Jonny nodded to Jacquie. "Hey."

"Hey, Jonny." Jacquie said quietly. "Any news on when the power's going to be back on?"

Jonny shook his head. "Not yet. The power company said something about generators being brought in for the next couple days until they can fix everything… it's a lot of damage. The power lines snapped here and go for about 2 to 3 kilometers down the road."

"Holy shit." Jes said. "This is a mess."

"Yeah." Jonny cocked his head to the side. "Who are all these guys with you?"

"My brothers and some other family friends. We needed a break after stuff that happened out in Chicago." Jes said simply.

Antonio was going to say something but Jacquie stopped him. She knew what Jes was doing and she wasn't going to let Antonio screw up Jes' plan.

"I heard that you had quite a… uh… uh… situation." Jonny stumbled over his words.

"Yeah… look, are we safe to stay here tonight? Everyone's flying back to Chicago in a couple days… right after the reunion." Jes wanted to go back to the house.

Antonio was watching this Jonny guy. There was something between him and Jes, and he wanted to know what the hell was going on. The fact that Jacquie was basically holding him back told him that Jes had a plan and she'd explain it when they got back to the house.

"Yeah… uh I don't see it being a problem." Jonny rubbed his hands together. "We'll check all the exterior buildings for fire risks, but as long as you guys stick together, it should be okay."

A few more of the firefighters came with Javier, Victoria and Jay in tow. "Is that?"

"Yeah." Jonny said, turning to them. "I guess the rumors were true. Jeslyn and Jacquie are back for the reunion."

"Yeah, look… uh, Jes is still recovering from what happened a few weeks back." Jay said. "We'll make sure she's at the reunion tomorrow, but as her brother… I want her back in the house. She doesn't need pneumonia on top of everything else."

"Sure thing." Jonny nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow night. We'll just do that check of the outlying buildings and the power company is going to set up a generator for the main house and guest house."

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Jay and Antonio walked Jes back to the house, everyone else quickly followed them. Once in the house, they unwrapped Jes from her blankets and coverings. They saw all the kids were wrapped in blankets on the floor in the living room. They were sound asleep. Antonio turned to his brother, who shrugged. They may as well leave them there. Who knew how long it would be before they actually got power back on to get the furnaces going again.

"So, let's just bunch people up. The kids are already asleep so, Jay and Will on the couches here… Mami and Papi can have one of the guest rooms upstairs… Jacquie, think you and Gaby can share for tonight?" Jes asked.

Jacquie nodded. "Yeah. Kevin and Vinessa checked into a hotel for tonight. It works for me."

Gaby nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time I share a bed with a friend."

"Okay, so that leaves Javi and Victoria… the hide-a-bed downstairs… will that be okay?" They nodded. "Okay, so let's divvy up all these blankets, I'll crank the heat on the furnace so at least this floor will be toasty." Jes said.

There was knocking at the back door. Jay and Will went to see who it was.

"Is Jeslyn Halstead in here?" The firefighter, Jonny, asked.

"What do you want with my sister?" Will asked.

"Just need to ask her something." Jonny stepped into the door and closed it behind him. "I'll be on my way right after."

Jay nodded and went to get Jes. Jes returned and her heart sank as she saw Jonny was still here. "Jonny, is everything okay?"

"The buildings are fine. The power company can only get one generator here for now, so they're asking that everyone just stay here in the main house for tonight."

Jes nodded. "That was our plan. How long before they get the power up?"

"Not for another couple hours."

"Okay, well thank you guys… for everything… we'll see you tomorrow night at the reunion."

"Uh, yeah." Jonny said. He looked at her arm in a cast. "Hopefully that cast isn't going to hinder you from having a good time."

"I'll be fine. I'm beat, so…"

Jonny finally took the hint. "Night Jeslyn. It was good seeing you again." He turned and left.

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* * *

Will locked the door behind him. "I think we need to have a chat."

Jes shook her head. "Nope. Not tonight."

"Jes, if you won't talk to us… you should at least talk to Antonio." Jay stepped in. "I think you owe him an explanation at the very least."

"And this is why I didn't want to see any of these guys before the reunion. It's my past coming to bite me in the ass again." Jes leaned against the wall. "I can't do anything here without people knowing me from senior year… or reminding me about what my mom did… it's just… urhg!"

Jay wrapped his arms around Jes. "Look, sis… we both know that we weren't here for you when you needed us, but Will and I both know that you are better than whatever gossip this small town hicks spread about you. You are the strongest woman we know… and we're going to be there tomorrow for you… just talk to Antonio… please… he didn't look too pleased that you didn't say he was your fiancé."

Jes hung her head. "I didn't need rumors to spread yet… I want to announce my engagement to everyone at once, not have it be all over Facebook before the morning comes."

"Fair enough." Will said. "We're going to get ready for bed, you go deal with Antonio. Okay?"

Jes nodded. "You guys are right."

"That's what brothers are for."

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She hugged them and headed upstairs. She saw Antonio was doing pushups when she got in the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and sat on the bed. "You're mad at me."

Antonio froze, mid push-up. "Uh…"

"Antonio, please… come sit… I'll explain."

Antonio pushed himself into a kneeling position and turned to her. His eyes told her that he was hurting. He could that Jes felt bad. He got up and sat next to her on the bed. "Okay. Can I ask a question first?"

"Always."

"Are you planning on keeping me as 'a friend' tomorrow night?"

Jes sighed. "No. I want them to know, I want to shout it from the mountain tops that we're getting married, but you don't understand what this small town is really like."

"I'm here. Explain it to me." Antonio sighed. "I felt like you didn't want to have that guy, Jonny… to know who I was. I saw how he looked at you."

Jes took a deep breath and started to explain. "When I came back, Jonny was one of the only ones, other than Jacquie, that was nice to me… treated me like a person. Turns out that before we moved to Ottawa… then Chicago… my mom slept around."

"So your mom slept with their dads?"

"Or moms… depended on what she was in the mood for. Long story short… she ruined quite a few marriages here."

"Hence, you go by Halstead here and not Bellamy."

"Exactly. Jonny was in all my classes, and if Jacquie wasn't my partner… he was. He watched out for me and we flirted… a lot… but two things happened. One… I didn't want to have sex right away… and two… he found out who my mom was. I ended the relationship because I didn't want that drama. So the rumor mill started… rumors varied from me being like my mom… a whore and a home wrecker to me planning on joining the nunnery after high school."

"I highly doubt either of those things were options you would've considered."

"Exactly… but think about it… he still probably has feelings for me… he heard the news about what happened in Chicago… who knows if he actually knows about what just happened with Jacquie's brother… I don't want him to be the one to spill my big news… I want to tell people who you are. I want to squash the rumors before they even get to start."

"Is that why you aren't wearing your engagement ring right now?" Antonio pointed to her finger.

"No." Jes laughed. "I took it off to make the sazon and the sancocho earlier… just didn't put it back on." She got off the bed and went to her jewelry box to get her ring. She slid it back onto her finger. "Much better. My finger did feel naked without it, just so you know."

Antonio got up and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"No, I should've been a little more clear about it. It's hard. I'm not proud of the legacy my mother left for me here."

"I don't blame you, babe. But… Jes, you're not her. You are nowhere being that kind of woman."

"I love you, Antonio… and I can't wait to show you off tomorrow. Now, on top of it, I'm pregnant… I plan on making that well known too… especially for all those who thought I was going to be a nun."

"I see jaws dropping tomorrow night." Antonio commented. "Is Will coming too?"

"Will, Jay and Kevin… plus you… let's just say everyone who treated us like shit all those years ago… they're in for a very rude awakening." Jes nuzzled up against him. "Um… I do have one request."

"Name it." Antonio laid his head on hers.

"I need you, Jay and Kevin to come strapped, you still have permission for that right?"

Antonio nodded. "Any particular reason?"

"To remind them that this isn't high school anymore… um… Jacquie got a couple messages that… well… Chris' friends that were our age are going to be there and they're not necessarily the nicest of people."

"In other words, you want us there to make sure shit doesn't hit the fan." Antonio snickered.

"That but you do make some pretty awesome eye candy too, Detective."

Antonio kissed her hard on the lips. "Babe, I think we need a little something else going on right now."

Jes arched an eyebrow. "What exactly are you proposing right now, Detective?"

He took her hand that was on his chest and guided it lower. Jes gasped when she felt his arousal.

"Antonio!"

"Jeslyn." He growled seductively.

"Are we able to?"

Antonio swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. "Well, I asked Will if it was safe to… he said 'eww' first but then said that as long as I'm gentle, we've got the green light."

Jes couldn't help but laugh. "Well then, I think I'm wearing way too much clothes."

Antonio carefully pulled off the layers of clothing and tossed them aside. He kissed each inch of skin as he exposed it. "Well, at least we'll be warm."

Jes pulled him up to her lips. "Less talking." She kissed him. While being romantic with a cast on was not necessarily easy, but she wanted him. They needed this. This allowed them to start back to being normal.

He kissed her lips, then worked his way down her jaw and neck. Jes moaned as he reached her breasts. They were bigger now; a consequence of the pregnancy and everything was twice as sensitive. He gently blew on her nipples, causing them to become taut. He took one into his mouth and gently sucked on it. Jes' body arched up to him. She was fighting to not cry out. With everyone in the house, they definitely didn't need to be drawing attention to what they were doing. Antonio kept working his way down. He could feel how wet she was. He didn't wait. He repositioned himself and kissed her as he pushed into her wet heat. Jes cried out, but Antonio caught it as he kissed her. Jes wrapped her arms around him, careful not to beat him with the cast. They alternated their speed and tempo. Antonio could feel her tightening around him. It sent home over the edge. They climaxed in unison.

Antonio felt like he was going to collapse, mindful of Jes' ribs, he rolled over next to her and pulled her into his arms. She was shaking and her breathing was ragged. "You okay, baby?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah, that … wow!"

"I think we both needed that… to move on and heal."

"I agree."

Suddenly Jes' phone dinged from the bedside table. She looked at it and groaned. She handed the phone to Antonio. It was a message from Jacquie.

 _\- If you weren't already pregnant… you definitely would've just made a baby. Glad to know your warm. Gaby & Jacquie_

Antonio snickered. "Well, I guess that's what they get for not sleeping."

"I'll never hear the end of it."

"At least they didn't walk in." Antonio reminded her. "Jay has had the unfortunate pleasure of walking in on us and on Jacquie with Kevin."

Jes just groaned, putting the phone on the bedside table. "Let's get some sleep. I still need to find a dress for tomorrow." She turned off the lamp.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her protectively, one hand carefully positioned over the tiny bump that was beginning to show. Jes knew she was safe and there was nothing that was ever going to take that away from her.

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The next morning, Antonio went with the guys to check on how much damage was actually done in the windstorm. It was extensive, but luckily no one had been killed. They came back and started to get everyone that was going home ready to go. Emmanuel and Constanza were going back to Chicago after the reunion. They were going to stay with Vinessa, Diego and Eva while the adults went to the reunion. Javier and his family as well as Gaby were headed back tonight on the red eye. They would be taking the rental vehicles back to the airport, so no one had to worry about driving them in. Will and Jay were heading back in the middle of the week, mainly because they wanted a little more time with their sister to work out more details for the wedding.

Jes was getting dressed when Jacquie knocked on the door. "Come in."

"Hey."

Jes turned and her cheeks instantly turned red. "Hey, Jacquie."

"Have fun last night?"

"Shut up."

Jacquie laughed and sat on the bed. "At least we know he takes good care of you in that department."

"Jacquie!"

"What!?"

Jes groaned. "Seriously… just… ugh."

"Hey, you're an adult… he's going to be your husband and he's the father of your kids… honestly… I'd be worried if you weren't getting a little frisky every now and then."

"It's the first time… since he was shot… since we found out about the baby… everything."

"Jes, stop. You don't need to explain it to me. I'm just kinda jealous."

"I don't think Gaby was." Jes turned to Jacquie to get her to help her with the zipper on her top.

"She said it was better that than having to see it. I guess when he and Laura were first together…"

"Don't need more details." Jes said. "So, I need a dress for tonight… something that helps show off…" She pointed to the bump. "Our little peanut."

"I don't think it's a peanut." Jacquie smirked. "But I get where you're going with this."

"Do you have something to wear?"

"No… but I'm not pregnant."

"Yet." Jes shot back.

"Hey!" Jacquie playfully smacked her with a pillow. "We're not even trying… we're not there yet."

"What, you don't think he wants to marry you?"

"I don't know… I'm not in his head."

"Jacquie… stop playing dumb. It doesn't suit you."

"Do you know something I don't?" Jacquie poked her.

"Look, all I know is that you'd be stupid to think otherwise." Jes poked her back. "Plus, just because you're not married doesn't mean you can't get pregnant… prime example… right here." She pointed to her belly.

"Fair enough." Jacquie conceded. "What are we doing about clothes?"

"Shopping? A quick trip… something that will really make jaws drop."

"You've really been overanalyzing this reunion thing." Jacquie got up.

"Did you forget the hell I went through… that you went through with me?"

"Nope. Can't forget that shit. Never will." Jacquie sighed. "Okay, let's go buy some drop dead sexy dresses that will knock everyone on their asses… our men included."

Jes squealed, grabbed her purse and they headed to grab Eva. They'd need her valued opinion to get this done fast.

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* * *

Antonio and Jay went looking for Jes. They looked everywhere, but found no one. Finally, they came upon Diego who was folding empanadas with Constanza.

"Diego, where's your mom and aunt Jacquie?" Antonio asked.

"They went shopping with Eva." Diego said, without looking up.

"For?" Jay asked.

"Dresses… something about needing it for tonight." Diego said laying the empanada on a tray. "Why?"

"Well… they left and didn't say anything… so we're worried." Jay said. He saw Will coming upstairs with Kevin and Vinessa. "Hey guys."

"Y'all had a hell of a storm last night." Kevin pointed out.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Will said coming from the laundry room.

"No one was hurt?" Kevin asked.

"No. Well, not us… there was a car that crashed against one of the downed poles, but they're okay." Jay said. "Hey, Vinessa… I just set up the Wii downstairs. Why don't you and Diego go test it out for Jes?"

Vinessa squealed and bolted down the stairs. Diego turned to his uncles. "Let me guess? Grown up time?"

"Good boy." Antonio patted him on the shoulder. "Please."

"Sure thing, Dad." He hugged his father before turning to his grandmother. "Gracias Abuela, ti quiero."

"Ti quiero, hijo." Constanza kissed his cheek.

Diego headed downstairs. Antonio turned to the guys. "Do you know about what's going down tonight?"

They shrugged. Antonio groaned. "Okay… come with me, you need to have a general idea of what we're walking into."

Together they headed to the family room, leaving Constanza to make empanadas in the kitchen. Unlike many Dominican mothers, she wasn't going to be nosing into their business. If they wanted her to know anything, they'd tell her. She was excited. For the first time in a long time, they'd get to spend time with their grandchildren without any danger.

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* * *

Antonio and the guys sat in the family room. "So… tonight is a big deal for Jes and Jacquie. They didn't exactly have the best experience in high school. Jes… I think had it worse. She told me about it… that her mom… well to put it lightly, her mom was a whore… she slept with most of the dads and moms of their classmates." Jaws dropped. Antonio just nodded and continued. "That firefighter from last night, Jonny? He went out with her in high school… and when she wouldn't sleep with him, well they made her life a living hell."

"So in other words, Jes came here to get away from that shit… yet it still happened and she told me nothing?" Jay asked.

Antonio nodded sadly. "Now, Voight got us clearance to carry our side arms and badges… we got the privileges and Jes would like us to carry them."

"Any particular reason?" Kevin asked.

Antonio had been dreading that question. "Because she and Jacquie have been getting messages about what happened with Chris."

"So because, my sister finally opened up about Jacquie's brother and what he did all those years ago… she is a target again?" Will was furious.

"No, not like that… but basically I think she just wants to make a point… that she's not her mom and that despite all their name-calling and bullshit, she is the better person." Antonio said. "Look, I'm not exactly thrilled with this small town, backwards world view, but it's their high school reunion… and according to the school organizers, who are their former teachers, they want to honour their hard work… something about them being some of the few who actually achieved something with their lives."

"What about the others?" Kevin asked.

"Jes said out of a grad class of 104 kids, almost half have criminal records, a bunch are single parents or had a bunch of abortions… something about some girls thinking abortion was birth control… there's over half of the class who hasn't been to prison that still works minimum wage jobs because they never did anything for themselves after graduation."

"Well, I think that explains why they're out shopping." Jay concluded. "They want to stand out. I say we help them with that."

"Deal. Suits, and everything else… and make sure we call that Captain or whoever that was from the RCMP… make sure he knows we'll be strapped for this thing." Kevin nodded. "I ain't about to let anyone hurt my girl or her best friend."

They set about to getting ready, hoping the girls weren't going to take too long to get their dresses. The reunion was set to start at 4 and it was already almost noon.

* * *

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* * *

Jacquie and Jes both agreed to go with their signature colours for these dresses. Jacquie's was a vibrant cherry red. The skirt was a hi-lo cut. The whole dress was overlaid with a gold-shimmery sheer. It was an off the shoulder dress and it clung to every curve.

"Wow, Jacquie… I think that's the one." Jes had said. "I'm pretty sure we'll need to at least pick Kevin's jaw up off the floor… if not everyone's."

"I agree, Aunt Jacquie." Eva said. "What kind of shoes are you going to wear with it?"

Jacquie looked in the mirror. "I have two pairs that I'm torn between. A glistening black pair or a pair of sparkling red heels."

"Go black. It's a classic combination." Jes said. "Now, which one is going to be mine?" She held up two very different dresses. One was her signature purple; the other was a vibrant turquoise.

Jacquie and Eva admired the two dresses. "They're both amazing. Try them on, and we'll see which one is best."

Jes headed into the change room and quickly slipped on the purple dress. She stepped out and twirled. It was a one-shouldered dress that ended just above the knee. The skirt was a little bit flared and spun out as she twirled. The whole dress was covered in a slightly lighter purple organza.

"It's pretty, Mom." Eva said. "But it's not really showing your baby bump like you wanted it to."

Jes turned to the mirror. Eva had a point. It wasn't really as form fitting as she wanted it. "Okay, I'll try the other one, and we'll go from there." She went back and changed into the turquoise dress. The reaction she got to this one was much better.

"Wow!" Jacquie jumped up from the chair. "It's perfect!"

Jes looked in the mirror. This dress looked strapless but had a lace overlay that made up sleeves that went to her elbows and the back had a tiny keyhole opening in the lace. It was tighter all the way down and flared out naturally from the hip. It was a little longer than the other one but it definitely accentuated her barely-there bump. It also made her eyes pop and brought out the purple in her hair. "It's kinda retro… but in a good way."

"Definitely!" Eva exclaimed. "I love it. And it's kinda stretchy, right?"

Jes nodded. "Yep."

"Which means you can wear it even as you get further into the pregnancy." Eva smiled. "That's always important."

"I do like it." Jes twirled again. "Okay, we're done."

"What about shoes for you?" Jacquie asked.

Jes hadn't thought about it. "I think I need to buy a pair."

"You didn't bring fancy shoes did you?"

Jes nodded, bashfully. "Yeah… wasn't thinking about that."

"Okay, let's go… maybe something purple… it goes well with that shade." Jacquie said.

They quickly found a pair of nice purple heels that weren't too high for Jes to walk in. They paid for their purchases and headed home.

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* * *

Jes and Jacquie quickly passed on directions for what they wanted Antonio and Kevin to wear. Will and Jay were going to go with whatever they had, but the girls insisted that their men matched them. They went to Jes and Antonio's room to get ready, while the guys got ready in the family room. The power had been restored via generators, so everyone else had gone to the guesthouse to make supper before game night.

Jes slipped on the dress, thankful that there wasn't a zipper. She quickly adjusted her hair and placed a purple and teal feathered headband in her hair. She set to doing her make-up. She always thought her eyes were her best feature. She applied an eye-popping smoky look with an almost cat-eye look with her eyeliner. She had given up on wearing contacts. It was just easier to go with her glasses. She had gotten a brand new pair right before they'd left Chicago, and the purple really made her eyes pop that much more. She slid on the purple heels and turned to show Jacquie. "Whatta ya think?"

"Well, the doubters in the room are going to be doing a double take. You look hot!" Jacquie slid on her black stilettos. Unlike Jes, Jacquie could run in those things. "Well, help me with my makeup and we'll be ready to go."

Jes made quick work of the make-up. Her whole vision for Jacquie's final look was almost 1940s pin-up girl. The eyes were perfect and she quickly lined Jacquie's lips before applying a vibrant red lip stain. She applied a light coat of gloss and handed Jacquie the mirror. "How's that?"

"Well, if the whole helping kids off the street doesn't work out, you can always do make-up for the stars." Jacquie laughed. "It's perfect." She put in her earrings. "Let's go."

They headed downstairs to join the guys.

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* * *

Antonio had his black suit with a turquoise shirt. He was tying his black and silver tie when Jay came in from the bathroom. He had just showered and shaved. Antonio had decided he'd go first so that he'd be ready first. Kevin had gone second. He was busy shining his shoes. His suit was a charcoal grey and his shirt was a deep red with a black and gold tie. Will and Jay almost had matching suits. Theirs were black with tiny silver pin stripes. Will's shirt was a deep blue. Jay's shirt was a jade green. Neither Will nor Jay wore ties. They were finalizing their hair when the girls came downstairs.

The girls had definitely achieved their goal of heads turning. Antonio had to do a double take. Jes was gorgeous. Not that she wasn't any other day of the week, but even more so now. He could only imagine what she'd look like on their wedding day in 9 months. He walked to help her down the last step. "Wow."

"Thanks." Jes blushed. "You guys ready?"

Will and Jay nodded. Kevin was frozen in place. His jaw was hanging. Jacquie's cheeks flood with colour. Jay turned to Kevin. "Hey, bro! Snap out of it!"

Kevin shook his head and went to kiss Jacquie. "You look beautiful."

"You clean up pretty good yourself, Kevin."

"Well, I think we're all good to go." Antonio laughed. "Let's go see what kind of drama we can get into tonight.

Jes left the house with Antonio on one side and Jay on the other. Will and Kevin were on either side of Jacquie. Whether or not people's minds were more open now than they were 10 years ago, they were definitely about to open some eyes tonight.

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… a shorter chapter than usual, but I really didn't want to drag it out. Next chapter… the reunion! Don't worry, no one's going to get shot… and Jes and Jacquie will get what they want…**_


	26. Dare You to Move

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* * *

Antonio drove as Jes gave very simple directions to the Community Cultural Centre in town. It was right next to their old high school. The whole exterior was decorated in the school's colours. There were groups of people wandering between the Cultural Centre and the high school. Antonio parked the Jeep and went around to help Jes out of the vehicle. Kevin helped Jacquie out. Luckily, someone had organized it that all the snow would be off the sidewalks and the parking lot. It made it a lot easier for the ladies who chose to wear heels instead of winter boots.

"Is it like a free for all?" Jay asked as he got out of the Jeep.

"No." Jacquie smiled, wrapping her wrap tighter around herself. "There's a chance to go and revisit our old school. If you want, we can give you a tour."

Antonio looked to Jes. "That would be nice. See where you did all that learning… you know all those awards must've been for a reason."

Jes' cheeks burned. "Okay, let's go… but let's not take too long, I think we have to be in the Cultural Centre by 5 for supper."

Arm in arm they headed inside the high school. Jes and Jacquie led them through the different wings of the school. They were down the Social Studies hallway when Will stopped them. "Is that your whole grad class?"

Jes looked up at the large frame with individual grad pictures. "Yep."

Antonio wrapped his arms around her waist. "You were beautiful then… but you're more beautiful now."

"Stop… just… eww… Antonio… remember… our sister." Jay was covering his ears.

Will punched his brother in the arm. "They're in love… you do the same thing with girls… you don't hear us complain."

Kevin snickered. "Remember that when we're back in Chicago in a couple days."

Antonio whispered in Jes' ear. "I think Jay's just a little jealous."

Jes giggled and nodded. "So, whatta ya think?"

"You had short hair then too… and it was really red." Antonio commented. "You didn't use contacts back then either."

"I only started using contacts once I had teaching health insurance… before that it was glasses, but I think I'm sticking to glasses from now on."

"I think you look damn sexy with the glasses… almost a teacher fantasy of mine." Antonio whispered sexily into her ear.

"Antonio!" Jes exclaimed. "The red hair… well… I wanted to be like my brothers."

"You're not a natural redhead… did they know that?" Antonio asked.

Jes shook her head. "Nope. Jacquie and I made sure we stayed on top of roots and the such. As far as anyone here was concerned, I was a red head."

"It suited you." Will said. "But I kinda like this look you got going on now… much more individual."

"Thanks Will." Jes smiled. It felt good to share this with her family. It had been 10 years. It had been a secret that only Jacquie's family and she knew, ever since Briana Halstead had lost her battle with cancer.

Kevin looked at Jacquie's picture. "You were a blond."

"Yeah, not my best phase in life. I like my natural colour much more now."

"You haven't changed much other than your hair."

"I got curves." Jacquie whispered seductively.

Kevin's eyes widened. "Well, I have to say, those curves…" He left the idea there as they were being waved at by another woman that must have been one of the girls' classmates.

"Jeslyn! Jacquie!" She ran to them. "Oh my god! It really is you!"

Jes turned and had to really look at her to figure out who it was. "Alisha?"

"Yes!" Alisha stopped right in front of them. "You remember me."

"Yeah, uh… hi." Jes smiled.

Alisha hugged her tightly. Jes was a little startled. She hadn't been really close with anyone except with Jacquie. "When I heard that you were coming, I flew out… I know… I know maybe we weren't the closest of friends, but…"

"It's okay, Alisha." Jes said. "I'm taking you heard about what happened in Chicago?"

Alisha nodded, a little embarrassed. "Yeah. I don't think anyone deserves to ever go through that… but you're here and you look great."

"Alisha!" A male's voice came down the hallway. "There you are."

"Denis! I though you were talking to Alex."

"I was." Denis said, out of breath. "But, you wandered off and I, for one, didn't want to get stranded in your high school." He looked to the group of people in front of them. "All your classmates?"

Alisha shook her head. "Just the girls… not sure who all these guys are."

Jacquie turned to Jes. "Uh, well… we were going to wait til we got to the Cultural Centre to make all the introductions."

"Oh!" Alisha exclaimed. "It's a surprise."

Jes nodded. "Yeah. Small town rumour mill is probably already running."

"Got it. No worries. I'll see you guys inside." Alisha took Denis' arm and headed to the doors leading to the Cultural Centre.

Jes breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow. She's changed."

"Totally." Jacquie agreed. "Still bubbly though."

"Should we head to the Cultural Centre too?" Kevin asked.

The girls nodded and got ready for the biggest entrance they would ever make in their lives.

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* * *

They got inside the Cultural Centre and saw that there were very few people in the lobby. The only ones were their former teachers.

"Jeslyn! Jacquie!" An older, petite woman in a navy dress and very high heels met them. "I'm so glad you could come."

"Mrs. Kay!" Jes exclaimed. "It's so good to see you again!"

The two hugged.

"How are you doing since you've been home?" Mrs. Kay asked.

"I'm good… a little shaken up over that storm last night, but otherwise I'm great."

"It was a big one." Mrs. Kay laughed. "But we're used to that. So, we've arranged it that everyone's already inside and we'd like to start things off with a grand entrance of MCHS' two best students and their guest…s…" Mrs. Kay turned to look at the four men standing a few feet away.

"Mrs. Kay, I think we owe you a little bit of an explanation." Jacquie laughed. She signalled to the guys to join them. She took Kevin's hand. "This is my boyfriend, Kevin Atwater. He's a police office within the Intelligence Unit in Chicago."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Kevin extended his hand.

"Pleasure." Mrs. Kay shook it. "I hope you're taking good care of Jacquie?"

"Yes, I am. I love her… and I already got the speech from Jes and from Jacquie's parents."

"Good." Mrs. Kay laughed. She turned to Jes. "Your turn, I believe."

Jes giggled. She pulled her two brothers forward. "These are my brothers… Dr. Will Halstead and Detective Jay Halstead."

"Ah, so these are the infamous brothers." Mrs. Kay shook their hands. "You must be very proud of her."

Jay nodded. "Extremely so… I couldn't have ever asked for a better little sister."

Will grinned. "She does us proud."

"And this is?" Mrs. Kay walked up to Antonio.

Jes handed Jay her wrap and she walked to Antonio, taking his hand. "This is Antonio Dawson. He works with my brother in the Intelligence Unit in Chicago. He's the love of my life, my fiancé and…" She turned back a little to show off the baby bump. "The father of my baby."

Mrs. Kay's jaw dropped. "Jeslyn!"

Jes blushed and her cheek felt like a 5 alarm fire. "I know it's a lot, but it's all happening."

Mrs. Kay rushed to Jes and pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, darling. I'm so proud of what you've done. I've been keeping an eye on you since you left. When I heard all those things that happened in Chicago… I prayed hard for you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kay." Jes smiled, squeezing Antonio's hand.

"I have a quick question." Mrs. Kay said.

"Go for it."

"Why did the reports say your last name was Bellamy?"

"Ah, that question… short version… that was my last name before Jay and Will's mom adopted me before my senior year. Bellamy was my dad's name… and it doesn't sit well here with people in town. My mom had a very bad rep."

Mrs. Kay nodded solemnly. "I understand." She turned to Antonio. "I'm taking you're taking good care of her?"

Antonio nodded and shook Mrs. Kay's hand. "Yes, ma'am. I would do anything for her and our children."

Mrs. Kay arched an eyebrow. "Children… plural?"

"Oh…" Jes had forgotten to mention that key detail. "Antonio… was married before, and his ex-wife was killed in the incident in Chicago. I adopted his two children, Eva and Diego."

Mrs. Kay smiled. "I'm glad to hear that things are going well for you. You deserve it."

"Thank you. So, shall we go in, or how is this going to work?" Jes asked. She was anxious. She couldn't deny it.

"I'll do a quick introduction and let you guys come in… you take it from there for the rest of the introductions. Fill people in and then we'll have grace and supper."

"Sounds good." Jacquie smiled. She turned to Jes. "Well, this is it."

Mrs. Kay headed into the main hall and up to the podium to the mic. "Good evening Class of 2005!"

There were shouts, whistles and whoops that echoed throughout the hall.

"As you know, not everyone could be here for many reasons… but tonight, two of your classmates who have gone above and beyond in their goals and aspirations after graduation. I proudly present to you Jacquie Lennox and Jeslyn Halstead."

The doors to the hall swung open and together with the guys they stepped into the main hall. People around them were standing and there was thunderous applause. Jes squeezed Antonio's hand. She was a little overwhelmed. Antonio squeezed her hand back. Jay was on her other side. Will and Kevin were on either side of Jacquie. Together, they walked up the steps to the stage. Jes and Jacquie stood next to each other, their men on either side of them, Jes' brothers were behind them and a little off to the side. As the applause settled down, gasps and exclamations of surprise spread throughout the room. Jes knew that it was most likely because of the scene in front of the room… that or because she was pregnant.

Mrs. Kay handed Jacquie the mic. "Good luck, girls." She waved to the crowd and went to join the rest of their teachers at one of the tables towards the front of the hall.

Jacquie raised the mic. "Well, it's been 10 years since most of us have seen each other, and some of us have changed… a lot. In these past ten years, some of us have been through hell and back, and others have been riding a great wave of success. We, Jes and I, have been asked to come back tonight and talk about our journey. But before we go into the boring details, we'd like to introduce some special guest with us, all the way from Chicago. Detective Jay Halstead and Dr. Will Halstead, Jeslyn's older brothers."

Will and Jay waved to the crowds, drawing wolf-whistles from a lot of the ladies in the audience. Jacquie turned to Kevin but was shocked to see him down on bended knee. The mic fell from her hands as they flew to her mouth in shock.

Kevin was grinning. "Jacquie Kathleen Lennox, I've been planning this for weeks. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. In the last little while, I've come to see that… I can't wait forever." He opened a small red velvet box. "Life is way to short to wait for the perfect moment. Life isn't perfect, but with you in my life… it is 1000 times better. Will you do me the great honour of becoming my wife?"

Jacquie could feel tears slide down her cheeks. "Kevin, oh my God!" He took her hand. "Yes! Yes, I wouldn't have it any other way!"

Kevin breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the ring. He slid it onto her left ring finger. "I love you!"

The room erupted into cheers and shouts of congratulations.

Jes picked up the mic from the stage. "That would be Officer Kevin Atwater, Jacquie's fiancé." More applause and cheers echoed throughout the hall. Jes waited for some of the noise to die down. "Kevin works with my brother Jay, in the Intelligence section of the CPD. They work with my fiancé, Detective Antonio Dawson." Antonio waved to the crowd. Everyone was in shock. Jes knew then and there that she'd achieved her goal. "As some of you may have already heard in the past few weeks, there was a situation involving myself and the Intelligence unit. Long story short, the bad guys are caught… a Colombian Drug Cartel is out of business, and I got engaged." Her hands subtly went to her belly. "It's also at this point that I'm happy to announce that Antonio and I are expecting a baby come this July."

The room broke out into applause but Jes knew that at some of the tables, the gossip was already flying. Antonio took the mic from Jes. "Now, I know that there a probably a lot of questions and such, but I think I speak for everyone when I say, let's eat."

His comment was met with much cheer and applause, mainly from the men in the crowd. He handed the mic back to Mrs. Kay as she came back to the podium. She waited for them to reach their table. "Can everyone please bow their heads while we say grace."

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* * *

The meal was delicious. There had been a variety of food to choose from. Jes explained to Antonio and her brothers how the meat and produce came from local farms. Antonio had to admit that the beef was absolutely delicious. Some of the girls' classmates had circulated by and chatted. Antonio could tell that some of them were in shock and could tell by the way that some of them were eyeing Jay, Will and himself, that they were jealous. He turned to Jes, while she was smiling and laughing, he could tell that something was still bothering her. He was about to ask her what was going on when Mrs. Kay reappeared at their table.

"Girls, if you could… we'd like to have you speak and then we'll open up the dance floor."

Jes and Jacquie nodded. Arm in arm they went back to the podium. Jes gently tapped on the mic. "If we could have everyone's attention, please." The room slowly quieted down. Jes smiled. "Um, I know some of you don't want to hear a bunch of speeches, and to be honest… we're not fans of giving them."

This drew some laughter from the crowd. Jes handed the mic over to Jacquie. "Jes and I have both done enough public speaking to last a lifetime. Uh, so we'll do the Cliff Notes version so we can all get out there and have a good time."

Jes spoke next. "After high school, Jacquie and I went straight to the U of A… we both got our Ed. Degrees and moved around the province until we got contracts back here. Uh, we worked in some tough situations, and it was then that I realized… teaching isn't what I needed to do… I needed to be out there on the streets helping get kids off them. Now… some of you know that I came back here Senior Year from Chicago… where I had been living for sometime… with my adoptive family… Jay and Will's mom adopted me after both my parents died. Because of something that happened there, I came home. I graduate with all of you. We've had our good times and our bad times, but this is 10 years later. Now, Jacquie and I run Power 2 Kids. It's a youth centre in Chicago's 21st District that not only gets the kids off the streets, but gets them out of gangs and teaches them basic life skills that they'll need to succeed."

Jacquie took the mic. "See, here… we were blessed… whether or not we chose to see it. Out there, it doesn't happen that way. Those kids are labelled from the day they're born. We work with them, the Police and anyone else possible to change that. Now, why does this all matter when Chicago is miles away in another country? Because we can be the change here too. We're asking that you simply help out a local cause that helps kids in the way we got help if we needed it back in the day. If it hadn't been for half the teachers that are here tonight, a lot more of us would have wound up in prison… hooked on drugs… or much worse."

"If you want to help our cause, we won't say no. Since P2K opened the crime rates among youth in our District has dropped by over 50%. One person can do a lot… imagine what all of our class could do. A lot of you are parents… I've just adopted 2 children… I have another one on the way… I now understand why our parents did the things they did… and why as kids we maybe didn't like it… but we all can admit now, it was for our own good." Jes took a deep breath. "Thank you all for coming… it's been great to see you all and catch up… now I think that's enough blabbing for now… let's get that dance floor opened up."

Mrs. Kay and Mr. Pearson, the school's principal, ran up to them before they could leave. "Girls!"

Jes and Jacquie froze and turned back. "Yes?"

"We have two things to present to you. The first is this contract of promise that this year's graduating class has written for you. It says that from September right up until Graduation Day, they are collecting change that is to be donated to Power 2 Kids. They feel that it's one of the best ways to help out. I quote, 'If two students from here can make that much of a difference in another country, in a city that isn't as safe as our own… then we can do our best to help them.' So far, they've raised $5000." Mr. Pearson handed them the letter. "They're proud to say they come from a school as strong and as caring as our and have named you their 'Role Models' of the year."

Mrs. Kay nodded. "On top of that, we are naming a new centre opening up near the school in the fall after you girls. It is going to be a safe place for students to come and talk, hang out or just feel like they're wanted. Having seen the toll that bullying, phobias and the such have taken on our student population, we are taking a page from your book and making our school a safe haven for any of our students."

Jes and Jacquie were both in shock. "Uh… wow… Thank you."

The room erupted in cheers, applause and shouts of 'congratulations'. Suddenly, confetti rained down on them and the dance floor lit up. Antonio and Kevin went to help the girls off the stage to let them catch their breath. They definitely hadn't been expecting that.

* * *

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* * *

The first dance of the night was their grad theme from that year, Sarah McLachlan's 'I Will Remember You'. Antonio took Jes' hand and headed straight for the dance floor. He loved to dance, but they hadn't had a chance to dance since their first real date all those months ago at Ciao Amore's. He pulled her close to him and slowly danced to the music.

"You know, this is the first time that you and I have danced since our first date?" Antonio whispered.

Jes blushed. "I know. I like this… we should do it more often."

"Go out?"

"No, just dance. In the living room, the kitchen, who cares! Just dance. This is so relaxing." Jes laid her head on his shoulder.

"You made quite the impression, Miss Halstead." He whispered. "Did you achieve what you wanted?"

Jes sigh contentedly. "I think so, we'll see as the night progresses. Do you prefer me as Halstead… or Bellamy?"

"I personally can't wait to make you Jeslyn Dawson… but I'll call you by whatever name you want. I just want you to be happy." He kissed her.

"Well, legally my last name is Halstead."

Antonio laughed. "I can't wait for September. We won't have to worry about that anymore."

"You're very right." Jes smiled. "It feels good to have this all out in the open now."

"Are you worried about repercussions of your speech?"

Jes shook her head. "No, but if anyone wants to start shit, I know that between you, my brothers and Kevin… and Jacquie… no one's going to try anything. They'd be stupid to."

The song faded away. "I'm going to go get us something to drink. Meet you back at the table?" Antonio smiled.

Jes nodded and kissed him before heading to their table.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

She had just sat down when Jonny joined her.

"Hi Jeslyn." He smiled.

"Hi Jonny. Thanks again for what you guys did last night." Jes smiled politely. She was wishing that Antonio or Jay or Will would come back. She carefully looked around to see that her three knights were all at the bar getting refreshments.

"Yeah. Uh… so, I was wondering… why didn't you introduce your fiancé to me last night?"

"I didn't want the news out just yet." Jes replied. It was at least the partial truth.

"So… how much older than you is he?"

"He's 36. His kids are 10 and 14… what's the point with all the questions?"

"Well, 10 years back… you wouldn't do anything with me… swore you were saving yourself for marriage… remember?"

Jes gulped. "Yes, well things change… people… change."

"I can see that. How long you been seeing that Mexican?"

Jes could feel her blood boil. "First off, he's Dominican… big difference… secondly, how is that any of your business?"

"Just making friendly conversation… we used to be friends."

Jes was starting to think that Jonny might have had one too many rye and cokes. "Look, Jonny, the past is the past… I'm just trying to move on."

Chairs scraped the floor around them. Some of Jonny's friends (who also were Chris' friends) joined them. Jes was starting to feel like this was an ambush. "Hi there, Homewrecker." One of them snarled.

"Look, I don't want to start trouble." Jes was beginning to panic. There was no way to signal to Antonio or her brothers without causing a scene.

"We heard what you accused Chris of." Another one, Kyle, glared at her.

"I didn't accuse anyone… I told the truth, something I should've done back then." Jes defended herself, realizing that at this point it was completely useless. She stood up. "I need to freshen up, now excuse me." She pushed through them and ran straight for the ladies room, praying that they wouldn't send their wives or girlfriends in after her. She slammed her palms onto the counter and looked into the mirror. She knew that she wasn't the same girl from 10 years ago that ran away from everything, but she also knew that stress was the last thing that she needed to keep this pregnancy healthy. Her arm was sore. She was regretting banging the counter. "Fucking cast." She muttered.

"Well, lookey who we have here." A voice came from behind her.

Jes groaned. "Well, well… if it isn't Felicia and Tanya, my two favourite lesbians… you two bimbos still together?" She turned around.

Both women looked furious. "You think that's funny you little whore?" Tanya went to lunge at Jes, but Felicia held her back.

"So, you wouldn't give it up to Jonny but you'll hop on everyone else's dick, huh? Sounds like your mom… she made you… then refused to fuck your dad so she fucked everyone else's instead."

Jes wasn't going to let this get to her. "I'm leaving."

"The hell you are!" Tanya screeched. "You fucked everything up… here the school and town are thinking you're some kind of fucking hero or God or something… they don't know who you really are."

"Really? Just who do you think I am?" Jes was suddenly wishing she'd grabbed her purse.

"A whore… like your mom." Felicia snorted. "Spreading her legs for whoever then conning them into marrying her… then you've got this whole angel thing going on about helping young kids… as if! You're only in this for the attention… all because you never got enough."

Jes bit her tongue and closed her good hand into a fist. Her nails causing her pain so she wouldn't lash out at these two. They weren't going to be worth the assault charges that would be incurred if she hit them.

"What, can't defend yourself?" Tanya stepped towards her. "You that much of a little pussy?"

Felicia checked the stalls. "We're alone… all I have to do is call Kyle, Jonny and Patrick and this will be fun. Maybe being 'raped' again is just what you need."

"What are you talking about?" Now, Jes was genuinely scared.

"Oh, come on!" Felicia growled. "Don't play dumb. That's what your little 'fiancé' is all about. We know that you like getting laid, but then when it's not good enough… you accuse the poor guy of raping you… just like you did with Chris before New Year's and with that poor sap in Chicago… come on… don't think we haven't caught on. No one can get raped twice… never mind have it be like this."

"You guys are sick!" Jes screeched.

Tanya and Felicia threw themselves at her but didn't get far as the bathroom door flew inward. Jay, Antonio and Kevin quickly surrounded them. Antonio pulled Jes into his arms and led her out of the bathroom, leaving the other two to deal with Jay and Kevin.

"How did…" Jes was shaking.

"Jacquie asked us to stand back to see what would happen. Turns out Alisha, that girl we ran into in the school… she warned Jacquie about what had been talked about before we arrived. Turns out those guys and those two in the bathroom were Chris' best friends in school and well, I guess they couldn't accept the truth of what he had done, despite there being monumental amounts of proof. So… Jay and Kevin are detaining the two bimbos while some of your other classmates are dealing with the guys."

Jes was confused. "What?"

"No everyone holds a grudge against you… or judges you for what your mom did back in the day."

Jes was surprised. "So, what they're all here…" She stopped and looked around her. A group of her classmates and their spouses had surrounded them.

Alisha stepped forward. "We're here because we were tired of hearing the gossip, the lies… it wasn't right. We've had a guilty conscience for ten years… we could've done something, but we didn't… enough was enough."

Jes felt the tears flowing. "Oh!"

Antonio rubbed her back. "People care. Not everyone are asshats like these guys."

"I honestly don't know what to say." Jes whimpered.

"Just say that we can all move forward." Alisha asked, taking Jes' hand. "Don't think you don't have anyone here… please don't run away again."

Jes leaned back against Antonio. She felt like the world was closing in on her. She'd never had this. Ever. No one had cared… her dad had been the only one… until she'd met Jay. Now, she had a whole family who cared and she was discovering that she had people here too.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her. "I'm going to take her to get some air. I think this is a lot for her to take in right away. Give us ten minutes or so." The group spread out and let Antonio guide Jes outside.

In the mean time, Captain LaSalle and a couple other RCMP had shown up to escort some of the rowdier party goers out to their vehicles and watched as they left.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio led Jes to a bench between the school and the Cultural Centre. "Here, babe. Just breathe."

Jes was crying and at this point, she wasn't sure if they were tears of sadness, anxiety or joy. She tried to calm her breathing.

"Jes, baby, talk to me." Antonio wiped away her tears.

"I just… I never thought anyone could ever care 'bout me."

"Jes, that's crazy and you know it." Antonio said. "You are cared about. You are loved."

"Antonio, I never thought it was possible… after everything…"

"Jeslyn, you really don't know how special you are… how important you are."

Jes froze. It had been a long time since he'd used her full name, and she wasn't taking the proposal into consideration for this. "Antonio… after all the years of being told… that I wasn't good enough… worthy enough… and now all of this… you… the kids… this baby." She was babbling.

"Jes, please… stop. This isn't good for you, the baby… or your make-up." He laughed, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket. "You're turning into a raccoon."

Jes laughed as she took the handkerchief and dapped away the smeared make-up. "You always know how to cheer me up."

"That's what being in love is… what caring about someone is… Jes, trust me… this is new and it'll take time to adjust to it, but look… you adjusted well to dating, being engaged… becoming a mom… you can adjust to this too."

Jes hugged him tightly. "I love you, Antonio."

"I love you, Jeslyn. Now, do you believe in yourself and in what I say when I say we're all here for you."

Jes nodded.

"Good. Then let's go back and have fun. That's what we need."

"Can… can we just wait a little bit?"

"Aren't you cold, babe?"

Jes shook her head. "No."

Antonio smiled. "You are full of surprised, my love."

Jes' cheeks flooded with colour. "I try." She extended her hand.

"What?"

"Dance with me."

"Jes, there's no music."

"I know that Detective Obvious… but I've always loved the idea of dancing under the stars."

"Then, your wish… is my command."

Together under the full moon and stars, they danced to their own music. Antonio hummed a melody that was familiar to him. As they danced, snow began to lightly fall from the sky.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

The night progressed on and everyone was in much better spirits. Police did a check in every once and a while to make sure nothing else was going south. No one brought up the negative aspects of Jes or Jacquie's pasts. There were questions about wedding planning, the new baby and wanting to see pictures of Eva and Diego. When they weren't dancing, they were recounting many stories of different classes together. Jes had forgotten how fun this could all be, and it was then that she really understood what Antonio had been talking about. She was always loved, she had just been made to feel like she wasn't.

"Hey, Jes." Alisha said. "You remember Bio 20… when we did the pig lab?"

Jes nodded. "Who can forget that?"

Antonio looked to Jay, then back to Jes. "What happened?"

Alisha grinned. "Your future wife wasn't a fan of the substitute teacher we had that day."

"How about you start at the beginning?" Jes smirked.

"Okay, so it's right before Spring Break… our normal Bio teacher was out because his wife went into labour… we get a sub… worst sub ever… like falls asleep during a reading type sub." Alisha clarified. "Anyhow, the lab was already set up and we had our instructions… so we started on the lab. Jeslyn is really good at biology… and well, growing up on a farm, she knew her way around animals and stuff. So, she did most of the work since we were too squeamish to help… and well we finished the lab really fast."

Jes took the chance to hop into the conversation. "Anyhow, the sub passes by and asks what we're doing. I told her we were done the lab. She gives me this look like 'how is that possible?' Then I stare her straight in the eye and ask her if she'd like a pork chop."

"Her jaw dropped and BAM!" Jacquie exclaimed. "She passed out and fell straight to the floor like a bag of bricks."

The whole table burst into laughter.

"Damn Jes!" Kevin whooped. "That's… wow!"

Will patted his sister on the back. "Glad to know you could've gone to medical school."

Jes glared at her brother. "I wanted nothing to do with med school! That was way too many more years of school than I was willing to do."

"What about the time you almost blew up the photo lab?" Another classmate, Kelly, asked.

Jes wanted to crawl under the table. "Don't remind me."

Now Jay and Antonio were really intrigued. "Okay, now you gotta tell us."

Jacquie was laughing so hard; she almost choked on her drink. "If she doesn't, I will… I still remember thinking we were all going to die."

Jes was still shaking her head. "I'm not going there."

Jacquie put her drink down and began to explain. "So, Jes and I were in a Photography class… we actually still did old school photography, black and white film… developed our own prints… the whole nine yards. So, Jes here was Mr. B's best and favourite student. He taught her how to mix the chemicals and everything. So, one day we were out of developer so Jes goes to mix a batch… problem, the undiluted form is very caustic. So she lost her grip or something and the whole bottle went flying…"

"Oh shit!" Jay gasped. "Jes! Seriously?"

Jes grabbed a napkin and hid behind it.

Jacquie finished telling the story. "So, anyhow, the whole room started filling with smoke because it was eating through the floor finish and our shoes… we screamed and Mr. B came running, pulling out the revolving door. He sent it flying across the CTS area." She caught that the guys looked confused. "The door wasn't secured to the wall, and CTS stands for Career and Technology Studies. It was where we did almost all of the options classes except for art, band, foods and theatre. So anyhow, the door goes flying and he bursts into the room half carries both of us out of there, grabbing our shoes once we're out and tossing them back into the darkroom sink."

"I swear to God that the floor probably still has the burn marks in it." Jes groaned.

"It does." Alisha snickered. "I saw them earlier."

"Do you still do photography?" Kelly asked.

Jes nodded. "From time to time… just not film anymore. I had to move to digital… film processing got way too expensive."

They continued to share stories and laugh. Part way through one of the stories of Jacquie's shenanigans, Jes got up to go to the bathroom. Jay let her go, but got up to keep a close eye on her. He didn't want her getting ambushed again. He doubted that would happen, but he couldn't be too safe. She was his baby sister. He was leaning against the bar when his phone vibrated. He checked it.

 _-Jay, u don't need to stand outside the bathroom waiting for me._ Jes has texted.

He answered. _–I needed another drink. Don't fall in the toilet._

 _-Haha :-P_

Jay put his phone away and headed back to the table. At least everything was going to be okay.

* * *

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* * *

The rest of the party had lasted well into the wee hours of the morning. Eventually, everyone gathered together to help take down the decorations and tidy up. It was close to 3 am when they piled into the Jeep and headed back to the farm. Everyone headed to their respective bedrooms. Jacquie and Kevin were staying with Jes and Antonio in the main house. After Chris' arrest, Jacquie hadn't been able to go back to her childhood home for more than a couple hours at a time.

Antonio helped Jes up the stairs. "Babe, I can carry, you know."

Jes sighed. "I'm pregnant and tired, not crippled."

Antonio knew he wasn't going to push her. He led her into the bedroom and set to getting her out of her formal wear. Once she was more or less naked, she collapsed onto the bed. "Better?"

Jes nodded contentedly. "Yes. I haven't danced like that in years. My feet are killing me."

Antonio finished putting their clothes away and sat on the bed at her feet. He took one foot and began to apply lotion and massage it. Jes leaned back against the pillows and moaned in pleasure.

"That feels amazing." She whispered.

"I'll do anything to make you smile."

"Then, I officially hire you as my foot masseuse."

Antonio shrugged. "What's my payment?"

Jes batted her eyes at him. "You'll see." She said seductively.

Antonio grinned. "I like the sound of that."

Jes started to yawn. "Though, maybe a little later?"

Antonio laughed. "Of course… I don't even think I have the energy for that tonight."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

The next morning, Antonio and Jes got up earlier and went to drive Emmanuel and Constanza to the airport. They promised to call them with more wedding details as they became available. The next few days, they spent with Will, Jay and Jacquie going over wedding details. The Church and hall were booked. Antonio and Jes were meeting with photographers later on, after the others had gone back to Chicago. Thursday came and it was time to say goodbye to the rest of their family and friends. Antonio still had 3 to 5 weeks of medical leave yet, and Will had confirmed that.

"Look, bro… I like you and I know you love your job, but take the full med leave." Will had told him. "Enjoy the time with Jes and the kids."

Antonio had agreed. "I will. We'll see you before the wedding?"

"I'm thinking of potentially moving back to Chicago. Just don't tell Jay or Jes yet."

"No problem. Thanks for everything and have a safe trip back to New York."

They went back to help Jay and Jacquie finish loading the Jeep. Damien was coming to help drive them all back. It had been a while since they'd seen Damien and Meg. They had been busy dealing with the situation involving Chris. Damien had been dealt quite the blow. He was a member of the RCMP and his own son, also an RCMP constable, was being charged with all these crimes. He had had to take a stress leave to deal with the situation.

It was about 2 when Damien arrived to help them get to the airport. Jacquie hugged her father. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, sweetheart." He said. He sounded defeated.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Just this whole thing with… with your brother."

"Dad… no. I want nothing to do with him. What he did… is unforgivable."

"He's still your brother." Damien reminded her.

"No. No, he's not!" Jacquie slammed the back door of her father's SUV shut. "I cannot and will not forgive him for what he did. If you and Mom can't get that through your heads… then I'm going to find another way to the airport."

"Jacquie, darlin'… no." Damien pulled his daughter into his arms. "I just… do you have to go back so soon?"

"Dad, I have a youth centre to run and my partner is on sick leave for another month."

"I know… I just… I wish… I wish you were closer." Damien whispered.

"Dad, I know… I know that, but right now… I think we all just need to move on with our lives."

"Even if it means…"

"Yes, Dad… even if it means that Chris sits behind bars for the next 20 years. They have proof and he's confessed. There's nothing we can do to change that. I know that it's hard on you and Mom… but I can't stop living because of what's happened. Jes wants to move on and so do I. You guys can't dwell on it either. It's not good for either of your guys' health."

Damien knew his daughter was right. "I guess we just need time."

Jacquie nodded. "Yeah, it's not something that'll just go away. But, Dad… you're strong… you and Mom both. We're all going to get through this."

He hugged his daughter tightly. "When did you get so wise?"

"When I decided that I wanted to be like you and Mom." Jacquie grinned. "Once things settle down a little bit, we'll arrange it for you guys to come down again… start planning the wedding."

"I still can't believe that both of you are getting married." Damien smiled. "I still remember when you and Jes were little girls… then high school… now you're both all grown up."

"Dad, you're getting all emotional. Let's just go before the waterworks start."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"We're finally all alone." Antonio commented.

Jes sighed contentedly and snuggle close to him. "We get a whole month and a half of that."

"Think the kids will survive?" Antonio kissed her forehead.

"They've got their school work and a bunch of exploring they can do."

"And what about us?" Antonio whispered in her ear.

"Well, Detective…" She said, sliding her hands under his shirt. "I can think of a few things that could keep us occupied… and warm."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

 _ **End of January…**_

Jes had a more noticeable bump now. She was at about 18 weeks now. They had another appointment with Dr. Mayo in a couple days to check on the baby's growth. She was also finally able to lose the cast. She was finally feeling normal again. She was standing in front of the mirror when Antonio walked into the room.

"Hey babe."

"Hey, Antonio."

"You excited to see our little one again?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yes. It's so… oh!"

"What is it?"

"Give me your hand." She took it and placed it on her belly. "Right here. Feel that?"

Antonio pushed a little into her belly but sure enough he felt it. "Is that?"

"Our baby is moving."

"When did this start?"

"This morning, when you went for your daily jog."

"Wow." He kissed her cheek. "I forgot how amazing this feels."

"Well, at least we know that the baby is going to be active."

"You still not into finding out if it's a boy or a girl?"

Jes sighed. "Antonio, I'm going to be poked and prodded from now until the delivery… I want at least one surprise out of the whole deal."

"Okay… I guess a surprise is a good thing."

Jes laughed. "It's a baby. It's not like we're having quadruplets or something."

"Don't jinx it, Jes… please God." Antonio cringed. "We already have two."

"I don't think multiples are possible. Plus, don't you think they would've seen them when they did the ultrasound last time? Or at least heard another heartbeat?"

"Okay, you make a good point." He kissed her again. "Come on, let's go make some supper for the monkeys downstairs. Then I'm thinking of a family movie night."

"Works for me."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… there we go… enough interesting drama for a high school reunion… most of the stories mentioned are actual things that happened when I was in high school… especially the biology lab one… Anyhow… until next time!**_


	27. You'll Be In My Heart

_***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes had regained full use of her arm and her ribs were back to normal. Antonio had also completely recovered. They were waiting in the room for Dr. Mayo to come in.

Antonio stroked her hand. "Are you sure I can't convince you to find out the sex of the baby?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope. Ain't happening." She smirked. "You can wait another 5 or so months."

"Knock, knock." Dr. Mayo poked his head in. "How are we doing today?"

"I'm great now that I have the green light to move on with my life." Jes waved her hand in the air.

"That's good to know." Dr. Mayo smiled. "So, let's peek at your little one's progress." He applied the jelly to Jes' baby bump and began the ultrasound. "Well, everything looks great. Baby's heart rate is good and strong. Growth is all where it should be. I'm at a good angle to tell you the sex… if you're wanting to know."

Jes shook her head. "Nope. I'm good. I want that surprised. Call me 'old-fashioned'."

Dr. Mayo looked to Antonio. "I can sense that you want to know."

Antonio nodded. "Yep. She says it has to be a surprise."

"Well, can I offer an alternative solution?" Dr. Mayo asked.

Jes nodded. "Sure."

"I can write down the baby's sex, and Antonio can find out that way."

Antonio turned to Jes. It was a good option, but he could tell in Jes' eyes that while she'd accept it, it wasn't what she really wanted. "I can wait. It won't be that much longer anyhow, right?"

Dr. Mayo smiled. "Of course. So, everything is looking great. How are you feeling?"

Jes shrugged. "The nausea is mostly gone. I'm just curious… am I getting too big too fast?"

Dr. Mayo pulled out a measuring tape and measured her baby bump. "A little bigger than average, but that happens. Baby could be a little bit bigger… you could be retaining fluid. Everything I'm seeing here is telling me you're progressing just fine… Are you worried about being too big?"

"A little. I just don't want to be harming the baby because I'm too big."

Dr. Mayo patted her shoulder. "Don't worry so much. You're doing great. Considering everything you guys have been through, you're experiencing what I would call a 'textbook' pregnancy."

Jes sighed. "Okay. Thank you."

"No problem. Now, I recommend following up with my brother in the first couple weeks when you get back to Chicago. Keep taking the prenatal vitamins and make sure not to do anything overly strenuous." Dr. Mayo shook both of their hands. "Keep care of that little one and I wish you all the best on your journey home."

"We will. Thank you again. For everything." Antonio said gratefully. "It means a lot to us. I wasn't there for a lot of this with Eva and Diego… I won't be making that mistake this time around."

"Good, good. Just make sure her stress levels stay down and she doesn't over do anything. Otherwise, I think that she'll have a healthy pregnancy and you will welcome a healthy baby in late June, early July." Dr. Mayo led them to the front desk. "Best of luck. Nancy, could you please give them their ultrasound copies and make sure all their charts are forwarded to my brother in Chicago."

Nancy smiled and nodded. "Of course, Dr. Mayo. Mrs. O'Ryan is in exam 4 for her first time visit."

"Thank you, Nancy." Dr. Mayo waved to Jes and Antonio and headed off to see his next patient.

Nancy handed Jes the envelope with baby's ultrasound pictures and gave them information with the other Dr. Mayo's clinic in Chicago. "Congratulations and all the best!"

Antonio and Jes headed out, hand in hand, beaming at the prospect of a happily ever after.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **February 11…**_

Jes and Antonio were busy helping the kids with their schoolwork when the doorbell rang. Antonio had taken to answering the door. Not that anyone had stirred too much trouble since the reunion, but he still wasn't taking any risks. The man standing at the door looked like a detective but wasn't armed nor was he carrying an obvious badge. "Can I help you?"

"My name is Don Rondeau. I'm a private investigator. I'm looking for Jeslyn Bellamy or Halstead. Whatever name she's using now."

"Can I ask what this is about?" Antonio hoped Jes wasn't about to make a surprise appearance.

"Only if I can ask who you are." Mr. Rondeau wasn't budging.

"My name is Antonio Dawson. I'm Jeslyn's fiancé."

"Is she home, Mr. Dawson?"

"It's actually Detective. She is, but she has medical orders not to be under too much stress. Can you please just tell what it's about, so I can prepare her?"

"Prepare me for what?" Jes asked, poking her head around the corner.

"Damn it." Antonio muttered under his breath. "Jes, babe… this is Don Rondeau… he's a P.I. and he needs to speak to you, but won't tell me about what."

Don edged his way into the house. "Miss Bellamy or Halstead… which do you prefer?"

"Halstead." Jes said firmly. "How can I help you Mr. Rondeau?"

Antonio loved the way she rolled her 'R's and how easily she pronounced French names like his. He turned to face the P.I. He too was eager to know exactly what he wanted with Jes.

"Are your grandparents Paul and Josée Girard?"

Jes' jaw dropped and she leaned against the wall. "Yes. They're my mother's parents. I haven't spoken to them since my mother died. Since they turned their back on me."

Antonio jumped to Jes' side. "Babe?"

"Those are my mother's parents. When she died, I was basically pushed aside by her entire family. My grandparents never… NEVER… contacted me! … all the letters I sent… got sent back with a sticker 'Return to Sender'… my calls went unanswered. When I needed a family… they were nowhere to be found!" Tears began to fall down her cheeks. "What do they want with me now… over ten years later!" Her hands flew to her stomach.

Antonio was beginning to worry for the baby. "Diego, Eva… can you come help your mom to the living room please?"

Don looked to Antonio. "She has children?"

Antonio waited for the kids to help Jes to the living room before spinning around and glaring at the P.I. "Mr. Rondeau… my fiancée is pregnant and doesn't need this stress. If you didn't already know… she's been through hell in the last couple months. She was raped and almost killed back in Chicago… my ex-wife was murdered. Those two children are mine from that previous marriage and Jes adopted them. Now, I haven't had that much time to learn about the maternal side of her family, but I've learned enough to know that she doesn't need them butting into her life now."

"Mr… Detective Dawson… I'm not here to stir shit… that's the least of my intentions. My whole career has been based around bringing families back together." Mr. Rondeau sighed. "Mr. and Mrs. Girard hired me… 9 years ago to find their granddaughter, Jeslyn Charlotte Marie Bellamy… but she ceased to exist. I've been looking for her every day for 9 years… I hadn't found her until now… until that news from Chicago made it's way up here." He reached into his briefcase and handed Antonio a file. "Mr. and Mrs. Girard have two daughters and two sons… Jeslyn's mother, Brigette, was their youngest. Her aunt, Yvette, is the oldest. Her two uncles, George and Camille, are in the middle. After much digging, I've come to a sad conclusion. I need to share those findings with your fiancée before it's too late."

"What do you mean too late?" Antonio whispered.

Mr. Rondeau hung his head. "Mrs. Girard wanted to see her granddaughter one last time before she died… that never happened. She passed away 5 years ago. Her husband has been given a terminal diagnosis and he really wants to see her one last time."

"Then what are the findings?"

"That the letters that were sent between them never actually reached them. I… I'd really rather share these findings with Miss Halstead."

"Let me talk to her… please, wait here." Antonio headed to the living room. "Jes, baby?"

She looked up to him tears still rimmed her eyes. "What's he saying?"

"I think you need to hear it, babe. I know you don't want to… it's too painful… but I looked over his files and I think you should at least here him out."

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Jes whispered.

"Jes, I wouldn't ask you to open this can of worms if I didn't believe the guy. He's got a lot of evidence and I think this is important." He lifted her chin. "You told me that family is the most important thing… whether or not you want to admit it… they are your grandparents… your family."

She nodded. "Okay. I'm willing to listen… as long as you stay with me."

"Always." He kissed her forehead. He went to get the P.I.

Diego and Eva turned to their mother. "Mom, do you want us to stay?"

"Uh… I'm not sure if you want to hear all of this… but I'm not going to be the one to say yes or no. If you want to… you can. You're old enough to start understanding some of this stuff."

They turned to each other and nodded. They went to the other couch and sat patiently to wait. This was the first time they were being treated as young adults; they weren't about to ruin it.

* * *

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* * *

"Understand this one thing, Mr. Rondeau. Jes cannot get to agitated or upset. Her pregnancy depends on her remaining calm."

"Of course." He followed Antonio into the living room. "Miss Halstead. I'm sorry for earlier." He extended his hand.

Jes shook it. "It's okay. I just haven't… it's been a very long time. Please. Have a seat."

He took a seat on the couch next to Jes. He looked to Diego and Eva. "These are your children?"

"Yes." Jes smiled proudly. She had taken quite well to being a mother, even if it was through the adoption of Antonio's children. "Eva and Diego."

"It's nice to meet you." Mr. Rondeau waved. "So, um… I should start at the beginning."

Antonio sat on Jes' other side and took her hand. He nodded to Don.

"Nine years ago, I was contacted by Mr. and Mrs. Girard to locate their granddaughter, Jeslyn Charlotte Marie Bellamy. You. But I wasn't able to. It was like you'd ceased to exist, but I didn't give up. I never stopped trying to find you. My whole career is about reuniting families, not causing trouble."

"Okay…"

"Your grandmother… about 6 years ago was given a cancer diagnosis… she begged me to find you… she wanted to reconcile. She said that she wanted to know why you never opened or replied to any of her letters since your mother moved you to Chicago… I'm very sorry to have to… I was never able to accomplish that. She passed away a year later. She wanted very much to make amends with you."

Jes sniffled. "Did she suffer?"

Don shook his head. "No, near the end… your grandfather insisted that she be put into a medically induced coma to prevent her suffering. She went peacefully in her sleep about a week later. She had dictated a letter to you… to be given to you should I ever have found you." He reached into a file and pulled out a sealed envelope. "You don't have to read it now… but I recommend you do, someday. Um… I know you were sent letters and postcards over the years…" He pulled out a stack of letters. "These are from the last decade. She sent a letter once a month, twice for your birthday… graduations… she wanted to be a part of your life, yet she was led to believe you wanted nothing to do with her or your grandfather."

"I sent letters and gifts… for the first 5 years… and they were always sent back… finally… I got a letter… it said to stop contacting them or they'd press charges for harassment." Jes wept.

Antonio rubbed her back. "Shh. It's okay. Just breathe."

"Do you still have this letter, Miss Halstead?"

Jes nodded. "I kept everything. It's upstairs… in the steamer trunk."

Antonio whispered in her ear. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah."

Eva took her father's spot and held her mother's hand. "It's going to be okay, Mom."

"Thanks, sweetheart." Jes squeezed her hand.

Antonio returned a couple minutes later with a large box of letters and parcels. "Here they are."

Jes took the box and pulled out the only letter that had been opened. "Here. This is the one."

Don took it and opened the letter. He read the contents. He then pulled out some of the letters from his pile and compared the handwriting on the envelopes that said 'Return to Sender'. He then pulled out his file in which Josée Girard had filled in her contact information. He looked to Antonio and Jes. "This handwriting is different."

Antonio examined the documents. "He's right. The letter that you got has the same handwriting as the 'Return to Sender' on the letters your grandparents got back, but it's not the same as your grandmother's handwriting sample."

Jes looked at them. "Then… if she didn't write this… who did?"

Don thought about it. "There was some things I found odd when I took this case… mainly concerning your aunt Yvette."

"What about that bitch?" Jes snarled.

"Woah! Jes… breathe." Antonio encouraged her to calm down, but seeing this reaction; he could tell that there was no love lost between aunt and niece.

Eva went back to sit next to her brother. She thought their family life had been complicated enough; but obviously, there were families that had bigger problems than those that Laura and Antonio had gone through.

"Look, Yvette may have been my mother's sister… but she never ever accepted me as family. Neither did either of my uncles." Jes growled. "They hated my dad… called him a loser and a bunch more unsavoury names that I won't be mentioning in front of our children… said that he brainwashed my mother… all sorts of bullshit like that. She even tried to stop their wedding… then my Mom announced she was pregnant… well… Yvette stopped talking to my mom… claimed she was trying to ruin the family name and what not. When Mom died, she even tried to have me banned from the funeral. She actually lost it when she found out that my mom and step-dad had left me everything."

"Okay, so your aunt is a nut job." Antonio whispered.

"Nut job doesn't cover her." Don said. "Um, when Josée passed, Yvette expected to receive certain parts of her estate that Paul didn't want. You know, jewellery… certain paintings and furniture… but she didn't."

"Let me guess… everything was left to Jes?" Antonio asked.

"You'd guess right." Don sighed. "She went off on a rant on her own father about how could they keep having hope for you… that you'd truly been your father's daughter… etc."

"Lovely." Antonio wanted to throttle this woman. "I better never meet this woman."

"I have a feeling that you may have to." Don sighed. "Look, Jeslyn… your grandfather isn't doing well. He's been given about 6 to 8 months to live. He wants to see his only granddaughter one last time."

"Didn't Yvette or her uncles have kids?" Antonio asked.

Jes nodded. "Yvette had four boys and my one uncle never married or had kids… unless that changed… and Camille… had a son."

"Ah." He leaned back. "You're the only little princess for them."

Jes nodded again. "I was. I loved spending time with them, but after Mom died… I thought I was no longer important to them."

Don handed Jes a file that had Yvette's handwriting in it. "Look at this."

Jes compared her script to that which was found on her letters to her aunt's. "It looks the same."

"You want my two bits?" Don asked.

Jes nodded. "Sure. Go for it."

"I think your aunt has purposely been trying to keep you away from your grandparents."

"But why?" Jes had a couple ideas, but Don Rondeau had been at this for a long time.

"I think it's because of a clause in your grandparents' will." He said. "I helped them write the rough draft of it before it was taken to their attorney. In their will, it states that if you can't be found before both of their deaths… everything goes to your aunt and uncles."

"So… she purposely intercepted my mail?"

Don nodded. "Yep. She's been taking care of your grandparents since your mother died. Mainly because neither of your uncles live anywhere nearby. So because of that, she'd collect their mail, send their mail… everything. I'm guessing she'd send your letters back and she'd make it seem like their letters were being sent back."

"I… I don't know what to say to all this." Jes shook her head. "All these years… I've been thinking… that my family had abandoned me."

"They never gave up hope." Don took her free hand. "They just wanted to know you… to be a part of your life again. I… I'm sorry… I should've tried harder to find you."

"Mr. Rondeau… I made myself disappear… I didn't want to be found." Jes sighed. "After I thought no one wanted me… my dad couldn't take care of me… the family that had taken me in… they adopted me. I took their last name. I changed everything. Look, out here… in this town… my family name has a bad rep… I never used it again until I got back to Chicago almost a year ago. Then all the press from a little while ago made its way up here and you were able to find me."

"That's right. You were not easy to find." Don smiled. "I understand you've had a very difficult time… but I think… your grandfather would be very happy to see you… and your new family."

Jes turned to them. "It's been 10 years… would he even recognize me?"

Don reached into the file he had built over the last decade. "This is you 10 years ago, correct?"

Jes took the picture. It had been taken the night of Homecoming. Jay was with her in his full Ranger uniform. "Yes. That's one of my adopted brothers. How did you get this?"

"Because it was the last thing that I could find of you… before you changed your name. It was on a Facebook profile that was later deleted."

"Yeah. Mine… I deleted anything tied to my old life. I wanted to start fresh." Jes said.

"They had a copy of this picture. It was hidden in some of your grandmother's things. I gave it to them. To show them how you'd grown up. They never gave up hope." He pulled out another picture. "Do you know who this is?"

Jes took it; her hands were shaking. "It's my mom… the day of her Homecoming." Jes had never seen this picture, but then again she hadn't ever had the best relationship with her mom. Especially after the whole town found out about her extra curricular activities with the moms and dads of Jes' classmates. She held the two pictures together.

Antonio looked over Jes' shoulders. "You look like her a little bit. You have her nose and her cheeks."

Jes smiled. "And her smile… I got my dad's eyes though… and his black hair. Mom was a strawberry blond, naturally."

Don said. "I think your grandfather will recognize you."

"Where is he?" Jes whispered.

"He's in an extended care home in Edmonton. Allen Grey. Um…" He looked at his watch. "Visiting hours will be over before you can get there tonight, but I can come tomorrow and take you all to see him. I know that seeing you would definitely lift his spirits."

"Mr. Rondeau… you said that my grandfather doesn't have very long to live."

"Sadly… that is true."

"What's… why is he dying?"

"It's a long story… the short version is that after your grandmother died… he had two strokes and three heart attacks… he also suffered a complication from triple bypass surgery… he ended up losing one of his legs to gangrene… sadly… they've discovered gangrene in his other leg… they want to remove it… he said no. He didn't want that. This form of gangrene is slow moving…. But if he doesn't get the surgery… it will take his life."

"When did he get placed in the home?" Jes asked.

"About six months after he lost his leg. Your aunt claimed it was too hard to take care of him anymore."

"She had him forcibly placed?"

Don nodded. "Sadly. Yes."

Jes turned to Antonio. "Can we see him? Please?"

"Baby, yes. It's your family… It's very important to you… we'll go… all of us, if you want."

Jes nodded. "Yes. I think it's important that he sees my new life… that he knows I'm happy… but that I'll never forget my family or where I came from."

"I'll be back tomorrow morning. We can go after breakfast. It'll give you the most time with him."

"Will Yvette be there?" Jes asked.

"I can't guarantee either way, but I think seeing you will make her realize she's lost."

"Okay. Thank you." Jes stood up. "Thank you for not giving up… for showing me that my family still actually cares… that it's one person on a vendetta that ruined everything for me."

"I'm sorry it took so long." Don stood up and shook her hand. "But I am happy I found you. I'll see you all tomorrow morning." He collected his things and headed to the door.

Antonio walked him to the door. "Thank you. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time."

"Detective, I'd be worried if you didn't. You care about her. That's going to be important for Mr. Girard to see tomorrow. I suggest that you keep that up because if her aunt is there… it could get messy."

"Thank you." Antonio shook his hand. "We'll see you tomorrow morning."

With that, Don stepped out into the night air and Antonio locked the doors.

* * *

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* * *

The next morning, Jes awoke very early. She wanted to prepare herself to see her grandfather. She wanted to be prepared more emotionally than anything. She showered and changed into a pair of black leggings with a form fitted pink turtleneck. It showed her belly, but she was okay with that. She was regaining her family. If he truly wanted to see her, then he would be okay with what was happening in her life. She set about to making breakfast for everyone. By the time everyone else got up, Jes had a full breakfast on the table.

"Jes… why did you cook for an army?" Antonio asked as he took his seat at the table.

"Uh…" Jes didn't think about it. "I cook when I'm stressed. You know that already."

"I wouldn't complain, Dad." Diego said before shovelling his scrambled eggs and sausage into his mouth.

Eva shrugged. "Diego has a point. We won't ever starve." She began to slowly eat.

Antonio laughed. "I'm not complaining… just pointing out that this is a lot of food."

Jes smirked. "Diego's growing and you always eat a bunch of protein… don't think I haven't noticed in the amount of time we've been together… it's almost been a year."

Antonio couldn't argue to he buttered a piece of toast and piled on his eggs.

Jes had to laugh. While she couldn't stand the taste of eggs right now, she knew that they were one of the better breakfast foods out there. She buttered some toast and made a breakfast sausage sandwich and then had some Greek yogurt.

"Mom, you don't want any eggs?" Diego asked before reaching for a second serving.

Jes shook her head. "Go ahead, Diego. I can't stand the taste of them… ever since I found out I was pregnant."

"That's weird." Diego commented putting another spoonful of eggs on his plate.

"It's not weird, silly." Eva said. "It's normal. Every pregnancy is different and obviously… this baby makes Mom not want eggs."

Antonio looked to Eva. "Just how do you know that exactly?"

"I read it in a biology book." Eva finished her toast. "I wanted to know how I could help Mom when she needs it… to do that I had to understand what pregnancy does to a woman."

Antonio sighed. "Just promise me you won't be giving me grandchildren until you're married?"

"Daaaaaaad," Eva groaned. "I want nothing to do with boys right now… all they care about is cars, sports and parties… I'm not into any of those things."

"Thank God!" Antonio sighed in relief. He turned to Diego. "And you… when you're old enough to think about dating… you and me… we're having a little man-to-man talk."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, Dad!" Diego said, his mouth full of scrambled eggs.

Jes couldn't help but laugh. This reminded her of all the times that Will and Jay would get harassed by their mother about getting some poor girl pregnant. It was good to be in a family setting again. To know that this was all, in it's own special way, normal. The yard sensor went off. Jes got up from the table and looked out the window. "Mr. Rondeau is here."

Antonio finished his eggs. He began to clear the table. "Okay kids, grab your things and we'll be on our way."

Jes went to greet Mr. Rondeau at the door.

Eva turned to her father. "Are you nervous about meeting Mom's grandpa?"

"I am, but I think she's more nervous about seeing him now… eleven years after she stopped having contact with them… after her mom died. This is going to be a big change for her… especially since she thought they didn't want anything to do with her." Antonio whispered.

"Dad?" Diego asked quietly.

"What's up, buddy?"

"Why would her aunt do something so cruel? It hurt so many people."

Antonio didn't have the answer to the question. "I don't know, Diego. Sometimes people just do mean things because they don't care about who they hurt."

That seemed to ease the question period as the kids went to change and get ready to head out. Jes led Mr. Rondeau, who insisted on being called Don, into the kitchen.

"You all ready for today?" Don asked.

Antonio nodded. "As ready as we can be, I guess. Have you told her grandfather we're coming?"

"I called this morning and spoke to him personally. As far as I know, Yvette won't be there, but who knows how long that will last. She's made friends with some of the nursing staff, so if she hears anything, she will show up to prove a point."

This didn't sit well with Antonio, but there wasn't much he could do about it. The kids were now ready, so they all piled into Jes' Jeep and followed Don out of the yard and to Edmonton.

* * *

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* * *

They arrived at the extended care facility fairly quickly. Traffic on a Saturday wasn't very heavy in the city. Antonio suspected it was because everyone was still sleeping off their Friday night hangovers. The building itself was a cheery yellow. They stepped inside and quickly signed in at the front desk. They were asked to sanitize their hands to prevent any illness as many of the patients living here had weakened or compromised immune systems. They did as they were asked and they headed to the elevator.

"Dad?" Eva asked.

"What is it, Eva?"

"Is that a cat?" She pointed to a basket near the elevator.

A nurse coming from behind them laughed. "Sorry to eavesdrop in, but yeah… that is a cat. Her name is Anna… she keeps the patients happy. We have one cat on each floor. Anna is the main floor cat; Elsa is on the third… uh… Olaf is on second and Sven is on the fourth."

"A Frozen theme?" Jes asked.

The nurse laughed. "Yes. The daycare that is attached named them. That's another special thing about Allen Grey… we have a daycare here and the children come to do arts and crafts or just spend time with our patients. We find that it helps keep their spirits high."

"It's a really cool idea." Diego reached out and petted Anna. "She's friendly."

"They all are." The nurse smiled. "Who are you in to see? I don't think I've met you all before."

Jes stepped forward. "Um, we're here to see my grandfather… I lost touch with him over a decade ago and well… he hired Don here to find me… his name is Paul Girard."

The nurse grinned. "Mr. Girard will be thrilled to see you. If I'm not mistaken Olaf is currently on his lap keeping him company."

The elevator dinged at its arrival. The group got on and waved to the nurse. They headed up to the second floor. From there, Don led them to room 209. He knocked on the door. "Paul? It's Don Rondeau."

"Don!" A deep but hoarse voice came from the room. "Come in. I've been waiting."

Don went in first, followed closely by Jes and her family. Jes met her grandfather's gaze. He hadn't changed much since her mother's funeral. He was thinner now, but his eyes still had that steely gaze that made you fear him but his smile made you just want to listen to his stories. Jes stepped forward. Don put his hand on her elbow. "Paul, I found her. I found Jeslyn."

Paul sat up straighter in his chair. Olaf was still curled on his lap, uncaring of the shifting of his human cushion. "Come closer, dear."

Jes took a couple small steps closer. "Hello, Pépère."

Paul's eyes widened. "It is you!" He exclaimed.

Olaf, whose nap had clearly been interrupted, hopped off and headed out of the room.

"Come here, Cocotte." Paul opened his arms.

Jes, hearing his pet name for her, took the last few steps towards him and embraced him tightly. "I'm here."

"I missed you." He whispered.

"I know. I'm so sorry." Tears slid down her cheek as she pulled back a little. "I'm so sorry I didn't try harder to reach out to you and Mémère… to find you."

"Don explained everything… it's not your fault, Cocotte. It never was." He smiled. "Can you tell me who are the nice people quietly waiting behind you?"

"Oh! Right!" Jes smiled. She waved to them to come forward. "Pépère, I know it's been a long time… and a lot… A LOT… has changed… this is my family… Antonio… is my fiancé… and these are his children, Eva and Diego. I adopted them before Christmas."

Paul smiled proudly. He insisted on hugging them all. "I'm taking that Antonio is also the father of your baby?" He pointed to her belly.

Jes laughed. "Yes, Pépère… and no that's not the reason he's marrying me."

"Good to know. Grab a seat. Please. We have so much to catch up on."

Everyone grabbed a seat where they could. The extra chairs and Paul's bed had just enough seating room for the whole group. Jes began to tell him about what had happened in the last decade.

When she was done, Paul had tears of joy in his eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Jeslyn… so proud! Your parents would've been very proud too."

"Did Don tell you that I never got any of your letters… and that you never got mine?"

Paul nodded sombrely. "Yes. Sadly, I'm not surprised that your aunt did that. While we didn't necessarily approve of what your mother did after you were born… she was still our daughter… your aunt tried very hard to tarnish your mother's name… not that gossip didn't already achieve that… but blood is thicker than water… and a parent's love will never die. You know this… and you'll know it even more as your children get older. After the accident… your Mémère and I tried very hard to stay in touch, but with our age… we couldn't do a lot of the things we wanted to. So… we depended on your aunt."

"Pépère… I wish I could've seen Mémère… one last time." Jes sniffled. "I never wanted to believe that you wanted nothing to do with me anymore… no matter what that awful letter said."

"We never gave up hope on finding you." Paul took her hand. "Your Mémère would have been very, very proud with the woman you've become. She's with you. Always will be."

"It means a lot to me. Je t'aimes."

"Je t'aimerai pour toujours." Paul took her hand and kissed it.

* * *

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* * *

Around lunchtime, Don had to go meet with another client but told them he'd be back by four. "Call me if you need to leave earlier… or if something comes up."

Jes nodded. "Thank you, Don."

Together, Jes, Antonio and the kids wheeled Paul to the cafeteria where they could all enjoy lunch together. They were partway through the meal when a loud screech came from the entryway to the cafeteria.

"What is SHE doing here?!"

Jes and Antonio turned. Their worst nightmare was there in the flesh. Yvette Simard was standing in the doorway with her third husband.

"Shit." Jes muttered.

Antonio put his arms around her. "I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered.

Jes nodded. "I know."

Paul looked to the couple. "Have the kids stay here… there's a TV room just around the corner. We'll go back to my room… to deal with this."

Jes wasn't about to argue with her grandfather. She looked to Diego. "You and your sister… go watch TV over there… we're going to go back upstairs. I'll send Eva a text when this is over. Don't move from there. Okay?"

Both children nodded and cleared the trays from the table before heading to the aforementioned TV room. Jes and got up and spun her grandfather's wheelchair around. Antonio stood next to her. She knew nothing could happen to her… not with Antonio by her side, but at the same time… she really didn't want this kind of drama in her life. Not today.

* * *

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* * *

Yvette and her husband refused to ride in the same elevator as Jes, Antonio and Paul. They took the stairs to the second floor. When they arrived, Paul was back in his recliner and Jes and Antonio right next to him. Jes kept a steely glare on her face and Antonio had his 'Mess with my family and see how far you get' look. Paul looked livid.

"Dad." Yvette tried to sweet-talk her way back into her father's good graces.

"No." Paul pushed her away. "I know what you've done."

Yvette froze. "Exactly… what am I supposed to have done?"

"Don't play coy, Yvette… it doesn't suit you." Paul snapped.

Yvette took a faltering step backwards. Her husband wasn't even paying attention. He seemed to be preoccupied on his phone. She turned to face Jes, but she wasn't able to look her in the eye. "Who is this imposter?"

"Imposter?" Jes huffed. "Really?"

Paul put his hand on hers and Antonio squeezed her shoulder. Paul turned to face Yvette. "I think you know damn well who this is." His voice boomed in the small space of his room. "This is Jeslyn… the same granddaughter you kept telling your mother and I that hated us… that she wanted nothing to do with our family. The one you forged lies to keep away from us."

"Dad…"

"Don't 'Dad' me." Paul quickly switched into his native tongue. "Tu savais ce que tu faisais. Ta jalousie s'est montrée la face. Tu as commis un crime tellement horrible… tu as essayé d'enlevé notre petite fille de notre famille… et pourquoi?! L'argent… des biens matériaux?!"

Antonio had no idea what was being said but he had a general idea that Paul was calling his daughter out on what she had done for the last ten years.

"Ta mère est morte en pensant que Jeslyn ne voulais rien à faire avec elle. Elle avait le COEUR BRISÉ! À cause to TOI!"

"Papa… elle te ment! Je n'ai jamais fait ça!" She turned to her husband. "Do something!"

He looked up from his phone. "What exactly do you want me to do? You got caught in your schemes… you deal with the repercussions. I'm going outside for a smoke." He stormed out of the room.

Jes' jaw dropped. "Wow. Even your own husband knows what kind of monster you are."

Yvette glared at Jes. "Don't you speak to me you little…"

"You little what?" Antonio stood up. "You want to talk to her like that… you go through me."

Yvette looked up at Antonio. "You have no business here, you… import!"

"Ha!" Jes snorted. "Yvette… back off… he's not an import… but he is my fiancé… the father of my children… I recommend you back off and leave… or else… you may find yourself spending the night with some unsavoury ladies of the night."

"Fiancé? Don't mean flavour of the week… You're your mother's daughter… tu es une chienne comme elle!"

Jes spat back. "Peut-être c'est toi la chienne, Yvette! Tu n'as jamais trouvé un homme comme mon père pour t'aimer."

"Ta mère n'a jamais aimer ton père!"

Paul's voice boomed. "Enough! Stop… Yvette… you denied us ten years with our granddaughter… we never knew anything of her… or what she's accomplished."

"How did you even find her?!" Yvette screeched.

"Your mother and I hired a private investigator." Paul sat up straight in his chair. "Your mother died not knowing her… I'M dying… I will at least be able to rest in peace."

Yvette's eyes began to fill with tears. "But what about us? We're your family… and you've done nothing for us!"

"You ungrateful bitch!" Jes bolted up from her chair. "I know that each of you got what you needed when you needed it… you're just after more of the estate… do my uncles even know what kind of serpent you are? That you've been tormenting your own parents like this for years?"

Yvette was speechless.

Paul turned back to his daughter. "Yvette, you've been given three weddings, each of your children received a hefty cheque to cover tuition and fees for post-secondary… the rest… it was always supposed to go to Brigette… you knew that all along… when she died… it was willed to go to her child… and that child is alive, and well. You cannot change that."

Yvette grabbed her purse and stormed out of the room. "This isn't over."

"Like hell it isn't!" Paul shouted after her.

"Pépère… you shouldn't get so worked up." Jes said as calmly as she could.

"Neither should you." He patted her hand. "I may not have long left with you, but I do hope I'll be able to see more of you before I go."

Jes looked to Antonio. He nodded. He'd call Voight and arrange it. Jacquie would have no problem handling things down there on her own considering this particular situation. "Of course. We can change our plans to go back to Chicago."

* * *

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* * *

The kids joined them and around 4, Don reappeared like he had promised to. Jes and Antonio filled him in on the situation with Yvette while the kids told their great-grandfather about themselves. Jes could see that this was making him happy. She only prayed he'd be around long enough to meet his other great-grandchild but she had no way of knowing.

"I'll be looking into this. In the meantime, watch your guys' backs… I don't trust that woman further than I could throw her."

Jes laughed. "Neither do I. If she tries anything, Antonio will be there."

"Good. I'm glad to see that you've been able to see him again. I know how much this meant to him."

They went back to join the conversation.

"Cocotte, have you found out if it's a boy or a girl?" Paul asked.

Jes shook her head. "I'm old fashioned. I want a surprise."

Paul smiled. "Good. That was the one thing I was thankful for… was a surprise." He coughed. Jes offered him his cup of water. "Promise me that… as much as you may not have agreed with how things were done… that that baby will know both of its heritages."

"I can guarantee that, sir." Antonio said. "We've already talked about this at length. They will know where they come from… a strong line of strong people."

Paul smiled. "Then I can be at peace knowing that my family will continue on… maybe not in name, but definitely in memory." He turned to Jes. "Don has a key to a storage unit. Everything in it… is yours and your family. It was always meant for you."

"Pépère, you talk as if I'll never see you again." Jes said softly.

"I may see you now, but in time, you will have to go home… and I will only get weaker." He touched her cheek. "You look like your mother and grandmother, but you have your father's eyes… as much as we didn't approve initially of their marriage… it gave us you… and I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Trust me… I can go now… be at peace with your Mémère and your mother… and I know you will be well cared for… and loved. Know that no matter what… we'll always be with you. Toujours et à jamais."

Jes hugged her grandfather tightly. "Can we come see you tomorrow?"

"I have some tests that have to get done the next couple days… how about you come on Valentine's Days?… it's only a couple days away… it was your mother's birthday… maybe we can honour her and your grandmother… unless you already have plans?" He looked to Antonio.

"No, sir… we had no plans, but we do now. It would be a pleasure and honour. We'll bring you something homemade."

Paul grinned. "Now that is something I won't say no to."

"Then it's settled." Jes hugged him again. "We should get going… but we'll be back in a few days. Rest up."

"You too… take care of that grandbaby…" He reached out to hug Diego and Eva. "Take care of your family… it's the most important thing you can have in life… no matter how it came to be." They nodded and hugged him.

Antonio shook his hand. "It's been a pleasure, sir."

Paul pulled him in closely. "Make sure she's safe… please. She's the last one in this family who cares more for others than herself… make sure she doesn't forget that she is just as important as everyone else."

"I will."

"Be well… and congratulations. You make a fine family." Paul hugged him and watched as they headed out of the room. Olaf came bounding in and hopped on his lap. Paul stroked him gently. He was finally content that his life hadn't been meaningless.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **Valentine' Day… February 14…**_

Jes and Antonio were busy putting the final touches on the meal they had prepared for Paul. The kids had made him a card and framed a picture of their family and a copy of one of the ultrasound pictures. They were just about to pack up the food when the phone rang.

Jes picked up the call. "This is Jes."

"Jes?" Don's voice came over the line.

"Don? What's wrong?"

Jes could hear that he was crying. "I'm sorry, Jes… he's gone."

"What?"

"Paul passed away."

Jes cried out as the phone slid from her grasp and she fell to her knees and wept.

* * *

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	28. When I See You Again

_***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio turned in horror as Jes slid to the ground. He dropped the knife had into the sink and ran to her side. The kids froze in place. "Jes… Jes… baby… talk to me. What's wrong?" He looked to the phone on the ground. He could hear a voice still coming from it. He picked it up. "Hello?"

"Detective… is Jeslyn alright?" Don's shaky voice came over the line.

Antonio looked to his future wife. "No, she's not. What the hell did you just tell her?"

"I just got to Allen Grey about 10 minutes ago and Paul passed away moments before I got here."

"What? How?"

"I don't know… Jeslyn's aunt is here and let's just say… this isn't a pretty picture."

"We'll be right there." Antonio said.

"I'll stay here and make sure that nothing is done before you get here."

Antonio hit 'end' and pulled Jes into his arms. "Baby, we have to go… you need to say good-bye."

"But…I just found him again… now…" She sobbed. "He's gone… I never…"

Antonio looked to the kids. "Put the stuff that can go bad in the fridge… get your coats and let's go…" They didn't need to be told twice. Antonio helped Jes to her feet. "Come on, love. Let's go. You need to be able to say good-bye."

"It's not fair."

"I know, mi amor… I know." He put her coat on and then helped her get her boots on. By this point, the kids had put everything away and were waiting for them. Antonio grabbed the keys to the Jeep, locked the front door and they headed out into the snowy night.

* * *

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* * *

They arrived quickly and safely. They ran past the desk and to the elevators. The whole mood in the building was one of sadness. Don met them at the elevator.

He hugged Jes. "I'm so sorry, Jeslyn."

Jes could only nod. She was at a complete loss for words. Antonio took her arm and together they went into Paul's room. He kept Jes close when he saw Yvette standing next to Paul's bed. When she saw Jes, Antonio, Don and the kids, she hastily left the room. Olaf the cat was on the foot of the bed. It was as if even the cat had lost someone he loved.

The nurse from the previous day approached them. "Hi… I know that this is very difficult… we did call a priest in and he'll be here shortly to conduct prayers." She saw that Jes looked like a lost child. "You can touch him. Hold his hand. He didn't suffer."

Jes stepped closer to her grandfather's body and carefully took his hand. "It's still warm." She whispered. "He looks like he's just sleeping."

Antonio kissed the top of her head. "I know, baby. I know." He also knew that it was harder to understand loss the older you got. He just held her as she cried and whispered to her grandfather in French.

"Je suis désolée Pépère… tu me manques déjà… je ne t'oublierai jamais… je t'aimes." She sobbed.

Diego walked to his mother's side and hugged her while Eva leaned into her father. While they hadn't known him long, they could feel the pain their mother was feeling.

Antonio turned to Don. "Has Yvette said anything?"

Don shook his head. "She called her kids and her brothers… that was it…"

Suddenly a man in scrubs approached the bed. He began to take off the brakes of the bed.

"No! What are you doing?!" Jes cried out.

"I have orders… he's being released to the mortuary." The orderly said.

"Without an autopsy?" Antonio questioned.

The orderly shrugged. "I'm just following orders."

"No!" Jes was weeping. "The priest hasn't been here… I haven't said good-bye… no!" She was almost to the point of collapsing on the floor.

Don took the orderly outside and explained the situation. The orderly nodded and asked them to inform the front desk for when the body could be moved. Don agreed and went back to the nurses' desk. Antonio had raised an interesting question. Why weren't they doing an autopsy? "Excuse me, nurse?"

"Yes?"

He flashed his badge. "I was working with Mr. Girard to reunite him with his granddaughter and other legal matters… I was just wondering… why hasn't an autopsy been ordered?"

The nurse looked over the chart. "It says that the family consulted with his primary doctor and a decision was made that it wasn't necessary."

"What family? All decisions concerning Mr. Girard and his late wife went through me." The nurse handed him the chart and it was then that he smelled a rat. Don thanked the nurse and headed back to join Jes and her family.

Jes was seated in a chair next to the bed. The priest had arrived and was explaining that since Paul had already passed away, he couldn't receive the last rites, but he could be blessed to allow his soul an easy passage into eternal life. Jes agreed and once the prayers and blessings were done, the family circled the bed and holding hands began to recite the rosary. Jes was fighting to hold back the tears. It wasn't fair. It really wasn't fair.

After spending about an hour, Jes finally conceded to having the body sent to the funeral home. She, however, still had questions as to how he died so suddenly. She turned to Don. "Why aren't they doing an autopsy? He was dying… yes… but not fast…"

"I asked that question. Turns out your aunt spoke with his doctor and they 'deemed it unnecessary'. I call bull, but that's just me."

Jes was livid. "What if it's something genetic? Shouldn't we know? Don't we deserve to get closure?!"

Antonio wrapped his arms around her and whispered. "You do, baby, you do… but I think even Don's hands are tied in this situation."

Everything stopped when Yvette stepped back into the room.

Jes stood up. "Get… out… now!"

"No. This was my father's room… everything here belongs to me and my family." Yvette crossed her arms. She almost looked pleased that her father was gone.

"You selfish bitch!" Jes was about to lose all control. Antonio had to hold her back. "His body isn't even cold yet and you want to go over his…"

Don stepped between the two women. "Listen… you don't have any say in this. I was the executor of his estate… that was drawn up two months ago."

Yvette's jaw dropped. "You mean he changed his will?"

Don smirked. "Yes. As soon as I told him I was close to finding his granddaughter… so right now… you're gonna turn around and go back the way you came. You will not be hearing anything about Paul's estate until after the funeral."

"I have to arrange it." Yvette huffed. Antonio swore that if she were a cartoon character, steam would be blowing out of her ears.

"Nope. Everything was prearranged when he was given his terminal diagnosis… I just have to set the date."

"You aren't family." She stomped up to Don.

"Lady, back off… I may not have been family but I spent more time with both your parents in the last decade than you and your brothers combined. Now, fuck off!"

By this point, one of the nurses had called security and Yvette was escorted off the premises. Don turned back to Jeslyn. "Jeslyn… I know this is hard and I know you may not really be thinking about all this but… we do need to make some final arrangements for his funeral… he didn't want this to be dragged out."

Jes nodded. "I understand. Umm…" She wiped her eyes. "Did he have specific wishes concerning the burial?"

"A mass in Church… and to be buried next to your grandmother."

"Then that's what we'll do." She sniffled. "Um, how soon can we arrange it?"

"I'll ask the priest for you and as soon as we can… we'll have it arranged." Don pulled up a chair. "Here, sit."

Jeslyn sat and took the tissues that Diego handed her. "I still can't believe it."

Antonio knelt in front of her. "He knew you loved him… that all the lies he had been fed over the years were nothing but wishes of a spiteful woman… he wanted your happiness… he saw it… he wasn't going to let go until he knew you would be okay."

"But… Antonio… I just… how can I be okay? The last decade I spent wondering what I did wrong for my grandparents to hate me so much… and it was a lie… I could've shared things with them… visited… learned more about who I am… my history… and it's all gone… over before I could really start."

"Baby, just because he physically isn't here… doesn't mean he can't be with you all the time. He told you that… he'd always be with you."

Jes sniffled again, quickly blowing her nose. Her ribs hurt from the sobs and her eyes burned from the constant flow of tears. "I know… I just… I just wish I had had a little more time."

"I know." Antonio hugged her. "I know."

"Jeslyn…" Don said quietly. "Everything that you need to know your history… and everything else… is in that storage locker. Your grandfather and grandmother made sure that you wouldn't forget who you are or where you come from… you just need to unlock the door."

"Thank you, Don. For everything."

* * *

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* * *

As soon as they arrived home, Antonio helped Jes into bed and she was asleep as soon as she had hit the pillows. One benefit of crying that hard is that you can instantly fall asleep. He quietly shut the door and went back downstairs. The kids had also gone to bed. Antonio knew Jay needed to be filled in on what was going on. He looked at the time. It was 1:30 am in Chicago. _'Oh well,'_ He thought. _'If I don't tell him now, he'll kill me… If I call him now… he'll flip out because I woke him up.'_ Either way he was screwed, so he might as well get it over with. He picked up his cell and clicked on Jay's name in his contact list.

"Jay?" Antonio said as the call was answered.

"Antonio?" Jay groaned sleepily. "What the hell do you want? It's 1:30 in the morning… wait! Is Jes okay? Did something happen with the baby?"

"No. Jes is not okay but the baby is."

"Explain… details…"

"Turns out that Jes' maternal grandparents never gave up on looking for her." Antonio then explained what had happened in the last couple days involving the private investigator and what had just happened.

"So… this aunt…"

"Is a complete and total bitch." Antonio concluded. "All she cares about is her father's estate. You should hear… actually… no, you shouldn't because if you do… I'm going to have to cover for you."

"She going after Jes?"

"Sadly." Antonio groaned. "Look, I don't know when we'll be actually having the funeral, but I think Jes is going to need some brotherly advice… tomorrow… or today… whatever."

"I'm just as confused as you are… I'll call her tomorrow. You just make sure that her 'aunt' doesn't come anywhere near her."

"I'm on that… the kids are keeping a close eye on her too."

"Good… Antonio?"

"Yeah, bro?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping your promise." Jay said. "She needs the stability you bring to her life… even if it's a little chaotic sometimes."

"I'm a man of my word, Jay… and I love Jes… nothing is coming between us."

"Good. Uh… I'll fill the team in tomorrow… or this morning? Whatever… I'll fill them in."

"Thanks… as soon as this is resolved… we'll be heading home. I think that as much as Jes likes it here… she wants to be back in Chicago."

"Yeah. It's been a lot of things to go through and absorb in the last little while."

"Definitely. Anyhow… I'll let you get back to sleep and I'll talk to you once I have more details… I'll let Jes know that you'll be calling her later on too."

"Night, Antonio." Jay ended the call.

Antonio put the phone to charge and headed back to his bed.

* * *

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* * *

The funeral had been arranged to take place on the 17th. Jes made sure that everything was in order. Music had been arranged. The flowers were the ones that she remembered always seeing when she'd visit her grandparents. Finally, she was to deliver the eulogy after the service. She hadn't wanted to, but when it came to it being Yvette saying it, Jes took the role.

That morning, everyone got dressed and waited for Don to pick them up. They headed into the city for the service. Jes was numb the entire time. She refused to cry in public. She needed to be strong, but that way of thinking failed when one of her distant relatives began to sing 'Ave Maria' followed by 'Welcome Home'. The tears flowed as quickly as rivers did in the spring thaw. As the Mass ended, Jes was invited to the front to read the eulogy. Antonio helped her up the steps and stayed close so that if she needed him, he was there.

Jes cleared her throat and began. "My name is Jeslyn Halstead. Paul Girard was my grandfather. Many years ago, due to tragic events, I lost touch with him and my grandmother, Josée. I recently came home and I was found. All those years… I wondered how they were and if they'd be proud of me. I won't stand here and tell you I know everything about him. I can, however, stand here and tell you that no matter how many years we were apart; I know my Pépère was a good man. A strong man. I just found him again… a week ago. In the short time that I got to spend with him, I learned so much about my family through him. I…" She had to pause to catch her breath. "I know that he was a man who lived his life for his family… for the love he had to give them. He told me that his proudest moments in life were the achievements of his children and grandchildren. They made his life worth it. I was reflecting on what I was going to say today… and I realized something. Pépère left us here, knowing that we all had love in our lives… to go and be with the love of his life… Mémère… on Valentine's Day. They are gone but not forgotten… forever in our hearts and lives. Tu nous manques Pépère… toujours et à jamais." She turned and took Antonio's hand.

Antonio guided her back to the pew. The priest concluded the Mass and the pallbearers went to the casket. Jes stood up, and holding onto Antonio, followed it out of the Church. They walked behind the Church to the open gravesite. The priest said the final blessings and the casket was lowered into the ground. The wind cut into them like knives, but Jes refused to budge. This was her last chance to say good-bye. As the rest of the congregation left, Jes turned to Antonio, leaned into his chest and wept openly. Antonio held her tightly and let her weep. The emotions had been bottled up too long, and now there was no one watching. She wept for the family that was found and then lost again.

As the sobs eased up, Jes cleared her throat and sang the one song she could remember from when she began teaching. It was a song that fit to this particular occasion, 'Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)'.

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound  
That saved a wretch like me  
I once was lost, but now I'm found  
Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear  
And grace my fears relieved  
How precious did that grace appear  
The hour I first believed

My chains are gone, I've been set free  
My God, my Savior has ransomed me  
And like a flood His mercy reigns  
Unending love, amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me  
His word my hope secures  
He will my shield and portion be  
As long as life endures

My chains are gone, I've been set free  
My God, my Savior has ransomed me  
And like a flood His mercy reigns  
Unending love, amazing grace

My chains are gone, I've been set free  
My God, my Savior has ransomed me  
And like a flood His mercy reigns  
Unending love, amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow  
The sun forbear to shine  
But God who called me here below  
Will be forever mine, will be forever mine  
You are forever mine."

Jes took the small bouquets of flowers that Eva and Diego had been holding and placed them on either side of the tombstone; one for her grandmother, the other for her grandfather. One final teardrop fell on the tombstone as Jes turned to join her family.

* * *

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* * *

Jes had insisted that they stay for a couple more days after the funeral to deal with some of the things she had inherited. It was getting colder, and she didn't want to wait too much longer to deal with the estate. Don arranged for a meeting of the family in a neutral location to go over Paul's last will and testament on the 20th. Damien and Meg volunteered to keep an eye on the kids while Antonio went with Jes. No one attempted anything with him around. He figured it was because they finally put two and two together that he wasn't about to let anyone mess with her.

Antonio and Jes arrived well before everyone else. Don greeted them warmly. "Jeslyn, I know you wanted to know what ultimately took Paul's life… I have acquaintances who work at the funeral home where he was… um… they think that with all the moving about they made him do in the days leading up to his passing, that… uh… a blood clot came loose…"

"An embolism." Jes concluded.

Don nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry."

"At least he didn't suffer… and he's back with those whom he loves." Jes sighed. "Will this take long?"

Don shook his head. "No. Paul had arranged it that most of the money and property be dealt with before he passed. The rest of this is minor details… your aunt and uncles know this… but your aunt…"

"Wants to be a bitch." Antonio muttered.

Don just nodded silently. Within a few minutes the rest of the 'family' arrived. Jes refused to think of them as real family considering all they had done to prevent her from ever seeing her grandparents again. They sat around the table and waited for the process to begin.

Don took the envelope containing the will and began. "This is the Last Will and Testament of Paul Jean-Pierre Joseph Girard." He looked to the group gathered in front of him to ensure they were all paying attention. "I, Paul, being of sound mind and spirit hereby bequeath the following to my family on this day, December 15, 2014: To my son Pierre, I leave my tools and equipment to do with as you see fit. You were always driven by a passion of working with your hands; I hope that you will find as much joy as I did in working with these tools. To my son, Adrien, I leave an account in trust, for the amount of $20,000 for your son, Jake, to be used to pursue any post-secondary goals. I also leave to both sons an amount of $50,000 to be used as you see fit. To my daughter, Yvette… you have already gotten most of your inheritance over the years… therefore I leave you $10,000 to be used as you see fit as well as $20,000 for each of your sons, to be used in the pursuit of post-secondary goals or the purchase of a home. To my granddaughter, Jeslyn Bellamy Halstead… I leave everything else. My home and vehicles were sold and purchased by your aunt and uncles… the money from those sales goes to you to be used, as you see fit. I have left you our family archives, jewelry, mementos and certain pieces of furniture that have been in our family for generations. I also leave the remaining amount of my estate to be given to you on the following occasions: 2 million upon the completion of your post-secondary pursuits, another 2 million for your wedding as well as an extra $10,000 for paying part of the wedding bills… finally the remaining 6 million will be put in trust to be divided amongst your children and will be given to them in instalments from the age of 18-25."

Jaws dropped. Yvette was fuming and Jes felt like she was going to pass out. She turned to Don. "Are those numbers right?"

Don nodded. "Yes. Paul had a special account set up to prevent anyone from taking money without his knowledge. It's been set up for almost 20 years… it gained interest and it's being left entirely to you."

"I didn't know…" Jes whispered.

"Why does that little bitch get my dad's fortune!?" Yvette screeched. "She wasn't around for the last 10 years… her mother walked out on my parents… you! You brainwashed him against us!" She got up from her spot and lunged at Jes.

To everyone's surprise, her brothers stopped her. "Yvette!" Pierre barked. "Enough!"

"Aren't you curious as to why?" Yvette struggled against them. "Don't you want your share?"

"We got our share already." Adrien stood up next to his brother. "Dad paid for all of us to go to college, our weddings… and in your case… he paid for all three! He spent a fortune on keeping you happy… he sold you his house for below market value. Jeslyn was forced out of all our lives because of you and your petty jealousy and greed."

Pierre nodded in agreement. "We don't need anything else. We had our time with our parents… your sons got time with their grandparents… you robbed Jeslyn of that same time. I think it's only fair." He turned to his niece. "Jeslyn… I know… I know we weren't the best uncles… and we weren't good family… we weren't there when we should've been… and that's our fault." He extended his hand. "Please… forgive us… I don't think we really should lose the little family we have left."

Jes took his hand timidly. "I'd like that."

Yvette struggled against her brothers. "Don't give into her!"

"Yvette." Pierre turned and glared at her. "You pushed everyone away… you tried to brainwash our parents… everything… so here's how this is going to work… you're going to graciously accept what Dad left you and the boys and you're going to leave… and never EVER come back."

Don extended her an envelope. She glared at him.

Antonio had been silent until then, but now this woman was pushing him to his limits. He got up and got right in her face. "Yvette… you don't know me… and I really don't to know you… in the short time I've been here, I've never met a more despicable human being… and I arrest the worst of the worst in Chicago… so that's saying a lot. Now, you've insulted my future wife, her mother, her father and her grandparents in the short amount of time we've been in this room… so either take that envelope of your own free will and leave to never come back… or… I call the police, have you arrested for any number of crimes and that clause in the will becomes null and void."

Jes had seen Antonio angry before but this was a different kind of angry. It wasn't his 'pissed off Dominican anger'… this was a quiet anger.

Yvette clearly got the message and reached for the envelope. Don held onto it. "Understand this… included in this envelope are the cheques for you and your sons… as well as a restraining order against you and them… you won't be allowed near anyone in this room ever again. Do you understand."

She nodded, took the envelope and fled to her car. They heard the tires squeal as she peeled out of the driveway.

Antonio turned to face Jes. "Babe? You okay?"

"I've just never seen you like that?" She whispered. "It was a little scary."

"I generally don't do that angry unless I'm interrogating pedophiles and rapists… it's about the same level of anger I feel with them that I feel with her."

"Ah." Jes reached for his hand.

He took it and together they sat back down around the table.

Adrien sighed. "Can you tell us what you've been up to? It would seem, we have a lot to catch up on."

Jes smiled and told them of her adventures since her mother and father had passed away. Her uncles would stop and ask questions. Jes answered them and it felt good to be able to unload some of this weight.

"Antonio." Pierre said. "Is your work more dangerous than that of the average Chicago Police officer?"

Antonio shrugged. "It depends entirely on the case. Sometimes it can be, other times… not as much."

"And you take care of Jeslyn and your children?" Pierre asked again.

Antonio nodded. "Yes, sir. Her brothers… adopted brothers… they make sure of it… as does her best friend who she runs the youth center with. I love her, with all of my heart… that will never change."

Pierre turned to Jes. "Jeslyn, promise that we'll stay in touch… now that the truth is finally out there. Your mother was our baby sister… and we chose to listen to Yvette over her… we should've listened to your mother more often."

"It's okay… I'd very much like to stay in touch… you'll come to the wedding?"

"In Chicago?" Adrien asked.

Jes laughed. "No… here… we decided to get married in Morinville after the baby is born."

"We would be honoured." Pierre grinned.

Jes wrote down their information and their addresses and gave a copy to each of her uncles. "Would you like to have dinner together one night… you could properly meet Eva and Diego."

"That would be great." Adrien said. "We'll take you all out. You can meet Jake… I don't think you ever got that chance."

Jes shook her head. "I never got to. I didn't even know his name until the day we wrote the obituary."

"Then it's a date." Pierre got up and hugged his niece. "Let's do Friday night… before you fly out?"

"Sounds good." Jes kissed each uncle on the cheek. "I'm sorry it had to take Pépère passing for us to meet again."

"Don't blame yourself, chérie." Adrien hugged her next. "It's not your fault and we certainly don't blame you."

Antonio shook their hands and together they headed back to the farm.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was distracted while she prepared supper that night.

"Mom?" Diego asked. Jes didn't seem to hear him. Diego tried again, this time a little louder. "Mom? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Jes turned to face him. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'm off on another planet."

"It's okay. Are you okay, though?"

"Just thinking. A lot of stuff to think about… um… where's your dad?"

"Helping Eva with algebra…"

"Okay, can you keep stirring the pasta sauce and I'll be right back?"

"Sure thing, Mom." Diego hugged her before taking the spoon and keeping a close eye on tonight's supper.

Jes headed to the living room where Eva was clearly frustrated with her algebra assignments. Antonio was trying his best to help her, but even he was thinking about calling it a night. He looked up when he heard Jes enter the living room. "Hey, babe… everything okay?"

"Um… can we talk?"

Antonio wasn't sure where this was headed, but he could hear it in her voice that whatever this was about, it was important. "Sure. Eva, let's call this a night and we'll keep working on this tomorrow. Go help Diego finish making supper."

Eva put her books away and went to the kitchen.

When they were alone, Jes turned to Antonio. "Can we go for a quick walk outside?"

"Sure, babe."

They grabbed their coats and headed out into the cold, dark evening.

"So, what's bugging you? You've been acting… weird, for the lack of a better word… since we left the reading of the will." Antonio put his arm around her waist as they walked around the farmyard.

"Have I talked to you about my dad's family?" Jes asked.

"Not really. We've only really talked about the family you had when Jay's mom took you in."

"My dad's parents are still alive… I keep in touch with them weekly… generally a quick phone call or a letter." She knew Antonio was going to ask a very good question. "You want to know why they didn't take me in… right?"

"You read my mind."

"My dad's parents are quite a bit older. My dad was number 10 of 11 kids, so they were almost 40 by the time Dad came around… so by the time I was born… they were well into their 60s… They weren't able to take me in… my dad's siblings… well… they were busy raising their own kids and working… so… nobody wanted to take me in… but I never lost touch with them. I still talk to some of them on Facebook or we used to Skype… a little less now that I'm in Chicago… but with everything that happened…"

"You're suffering a guilty conscience."

"Are you a psychic?" Jes snickered.

"No, but I can follow the train as long as it's not too fast." He laughed. "You want to reach out and talk to them before we leave next week?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. I haven't seen my grandparents since I left here… I think it would be extremely selfish if I didn't go see them… tell them I'm okay… that I still care about them… that I'm not abandoning them."

"Jes… I told you from the time we started seeing each other… from the time you moved in… and I told you again when I asked you to marry me… FAMILY is the most important thing. My family… your family… our family." He stopped her in her tracks and held her tightly. "This is our family now… you want to see them… we can go… unless… you don't want them to meet me." He arched one of his eyebrows.

"They know about you and the kids… they haven't been told about the baby… or the wedding yet… and I'm not sure that I want them finding out via social media or someone else's big mouth. I don't think anyone's blabbed yet, but the longer I… we wait… the more likely it'll be someone else will blab."

"When do you want to go, baby? We're not going back to Chicago until next week… we have time."

She looked into his eyes. "Antonio… do you really want to go through more family drama? More than what we've just been through?"

He didn't even hesitate. "There is nothing more important than our family. If it means drama… then so be it. I went into a boxing ring against your brother to prove that you are the most important person in my life with my kids. I would walk through the fires of Hell if it meant that you and the kids are happy and safe."

"Okay, well… you don't need to walk through the fires of Hell." Jes laughed. "But, I'll call them when we get back in the house and see if we can see them after Mass on Sunday."

"Works for me." He paused. "What time is the marriage prep course this Friday and Saturday?"

"I totally forgot about that! I think it's from 8-4."

"Wow. Long time."

"Yeah, I'll ask Meg to keep an eye on the kids."

"As long as it's not an inconvenience for her… the kids are old enough to take care of themselves as need be."

"Let's see how they handle themselves with supper and we'll make our minds up then." Jes smiled.

Antonio leaned down and kissed her. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him even more deeply. "I really… really love you, Detective."

"Miss Halstead… keep this up… and we might not make it back for supper… we might just go straight to bed."

Laughing they headed back to the house to ensure the kitchen hadn't been destroyed in their absence.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **Sunday, February 22, 2015**_

After Mass, they headed quickly to pick up some food and headed to the Aspen Care Centre in town. Jes had explained to her paternal grandparents that they'd bring them lunch. She was anxious about seeing them again. Antonio understood this as her paternal family were much more traditional Catholics than her mother's side. The fact that she was pregnant before they actually tied the knot may not be well received. Jes was 19 weeks in and showing quite a bit already. She had decided to wear a more flowing tunic that hid the bump a little bit more. She didn't want to start this reunion off on a bad foot. Antonio held her hand tightly and they made their way through the facility to Lucien and Antoinette Bellamy's suite.

Antonio was impressed with the set up of this facility. Each patient or couple, if they were staying together, had a little suite. It had a kitchen, living area and bedroom as well as an in-suite laundry set up and bathroom. They had nurses come in and give their medications and check if they needed anything. They also had the choice of preparing their own food or paying a monthly fee to eat in the cafeteria. This facility allowed the seniors to be in a safe environment but still gave them their freedoms. There was a section of the facility designated to patients with end-care needs and another one specifically for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's. These wings had specially trained staff to help these patients. It was a bright and cheerful atmosphere. The patients that they were meeting along the way seemed to be genuinely happy and the staff were extremely happy.

They arrived at the suite. Jes readjusted her tunic and took a deep breath. She knocked on the door.

"Come in, dear. It's not locked." A soft voice came from the other side.

Jes gently opened the door. "Mémère? Pépère? It's Jes."

"Jeslyn!" A deep voice came from the back of the suite. "Come in! Come in! It's been a long time!"

They stepped into the suite. It was a bright coloured room. There were pictures all over the walls and colourful drawings plastered the fridge. It was obvious that the Bellamy family was much closer to their grandparents than the Girard family had been. Antonio closed the door behind them.

A small woman poked her head from around the corner. "Jeslyn! It's been so long." She slowly made her way into the living area. She couldn't have been more than 5 feet if that. She walked with a walker. Her hair was coiffed very cleanly and was pearl white in colour. "I was helping Pépère find his other shoe. Come in… don't all just crowd around the door. We don't bite. Come in. Have a seat."

Jes grinned and went to hug her grandmother tightly. "Hi Mémère."

"Hi sweetheart." Antoinette Bellamy was beaming. "You look good. Is Chicago treating you okay?"

It was then that Antonio realized that they hadn't heard about the events that had happened in December, or at least they weren't going to bring it up.

"It's good. It's different to be back there all these years later, but it's home now." Jes turned to take Antonio's hand. "I want you to meet someone very special… is Pépère coming?"

"I'm here." Lucien Bellamy wheeled himself into the living area. "I didn't want to run over my own toes without my shoes." He laughed. "Come give me a hug, Jeslyn."

Jes let go of Antonio's hand and went to hug her grandfather. "Hi Pépère."

"You do look good." He grinned. "Promise me that we're not going to be going so long without visits even if you've moved to Chicago?"

"I promise." She kissed his cheek.

Antonio looked Lucien over. He may be confined to a wheelchair but he still had a strong presence. Antonio guessed that if Lucien was standing he'd be well over 6 feet tall and he was a sturdily built man. Jes had explained that the family farm had been in Lucien's family since 1891.

"Pépère, Mémère… I would like you to meet Antonio, Diego and Eva… my new family."

After greetings and hugs were exchanged, the whole group went to sit on the couches.

"Antonio," Lucien addressed him. "Jeslyn tells me that you work with her adoptive brother?"

"I do, sir. I'm in Intelligence with Jay… I'm actually the second in command and I brought Jay into the unit." Antonio said proudly. "Um, with things changing though, I'm focusing more on our family than the job."

"It's good to know that you're a family man, Antonio." Lucien coughed. "My son, Michel… he believed in his family… and he felt the only way to keep them safe was by serving this country…"

"I understand, sir… I served in the Marines right out of high school. Jes has told me about her father and what happened… when we first met."

Lucien turned to his granddaughter. "I approve."

"Pépère… I kind of already said yes." She flashed her left hand.

Antoinette gasped. "You didn't tell us you were engaged!"

"I didn't want to tell you over the phone." Jes said. "I wanted you to meet him… and our children in person before telling you. Um… that was something else I wanted to tell you… I've adopted Eva and Diego… their mother… Antonio's ex-wife… she passed away and one of her wishes was that they have a mother in their life."

Antoinette looked to Lucien. Jes could tell her grandmother was concerned with this arrangement.

"Mémère, it's okay… really. I was adopted… I turned out okay." Jes took her grandmother's hand. "It's going to be fine."

Antoinette sighed. "You have your father's determination."

"I think your grandmother just called you stubborn." Antonio laughed.

"She did… and you know as well as I do that she's right… you've seen my 'determination'."

"Dad, she has a point… I think Mom's more stubborn than you." Eva smiled. "And that takes a lot."

"Well, there could've been worse qualities that she could have inherited from Michel." Lucien smiled. "I am happy to have two more great-grandchildren. Come, come closer." The kids went to sit closer to Lucien. "Tell me more about yourselves."

Antoinette and Lucien listened closely to what their newest grandchildren were telling them. Antonio and Jes took this time to set the table for lunch. Jes watched the interaction. She could tell that it was a lot of information to take in but her grandparents would adjust.

Antonio leaned in. "When are you going to break the other news?"

"I don't know… I want to tell them, but you saw the initial look I got when I told them I adopted Eva and Diego."

"They're your family… unless they're very good liars, babe, they're going to be happy… it may just take time to get used to the idea."

"I know. You're right. I'm over thinking this." She kissed him.

"Hey! What are you two chuchotting about over there?" Antoinette asked.

"Chuchotting?" Antonio asked.

Jes snickered. "Whispering."

"Ah." Antonio laughed. "I guess if you're learning Spanish, I need to learn French."

"It would be wise." Jes smiled. "We're talking about lunch being ready, but we didn't want to ruin the moment you guys were sharing."

"Don't bullshit a bullshitter." Lucien said. "What's the big secret?"

Jes sighed. "I can't get out of this one, can I?"

"No. So what is it the big secret?" Antoinette asked.

"I was… um… going to wait until after lunch… but…" She reached for Antonio's hand. "Antonio and I are going to be parents again." She put her hands over her belly, pulling the tunic tighter. "I'm pregnant."

Antoinette's jaw dropped while her husband's eyes lit up.

"Really?" Lucien asked.

"Yes… We found out before coming up here… I'm about 5 months in and before you ask… we're not getting married because of the baby."

"I was going to ask her to marry me no matter what, umm… Jes was told that having children was not possible… and this is a miracle for us… I love her and our family." Antonio jumped in. He didn't want Jes being ambushed like before.

"Are you truly happy, Jeslyn?" Antoinette asked.

"Of course I am, Mémère." Jes smiled. "I'm happier than I've been since Dad died. Antonio and the kids… they're a big part of that… I have more family now… not just blood family… but family that loves me for who I am. I still haven't forgotten my roots… I've just branched out what family means to me."

"As long as you are happy… that is all we could ask… it's all your father would've asked for." Lucien took his wife's hand. "Have you set a wedding date?"

"Yes. September 4. We're getting married right here in town." Jes grinned. "You guys are my biggest inspiration for the date. You've been married over 60 years… I hope our marriage will be as special as yours."

Antoinette's eyes filled with tears of joy. "We couldn't be happier. I'm certain your marriage will be as blessed and happy as ours."

They sat down, enjoyed some fresh bread with chilli and talked about what the future held in store for everyone.

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* * *

 _ **Friday, February 27, 2015**_

Jes and Antonio had packed everything up and loaded it into the Jeep. Damien and Meg were going to be picking up the Jeep the next day. Everything had been arranged with airport security. The kids were busy tidying things up and making sure the house would be in good condition until they returned after the baby was born. Everything was ready to go and they went to say good-bye to Meg and Damien before heading to the city to meet with Jes' uncles and cousin for supper.

"Time to go already?" Meg asked when they got to their house.

"Sadly. Antonio has to go back to work and I think Jacquie needs a break from running P2K by herself." Jes said. "We'll be back later this summer… after the baby is born."

"Well, I guess it's not that long of a wait." Damien laughed. "Jacquie's invited us to come visit at any time."

"Unless you want to walk in on something… I suggest no surprise visits." Antonio laughed.

Damien shook his head. "I don't want to know what my little girl does in her spare time with her fiancé."

Meg patted him on the arm. "At least she's happy. You're both happy."

Jes hugged them both. "We'll stay in touch."

"Good." Damien kissed her cheek. "Just stay out of trouble… please… I don't think I could handle hearing that anything happened to either of you… or your families."

"I'll do my best." Jes laughed. "I don't make any guarantees."

Meg and Damien hugged the kids and then went to Antonio. "Is it worth it to ask you to stay safe and keep Kevin safe too?"

Antonio hugged Meg and shook Damien's hand. "You can, but I can't guarantee anything anymore than Jes. I will do my best though."

"That's all we can ask for." Damien said, wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder.

"Just keep them and the kids safe." Meg's eyes were pleading.

"I will." Antonio smiled. "I can promise you that."

"We should get going, Dad." Diego said. "We're supposed to be meeting everyone for supper at 6 and it's already 4:30."

"Thank you, Diego." Antonio laughed. "It was great meeting you and you're more than welcome to come visit us too."

"Thank you. We'll be seeing you guys soon." Damien said. "We'll pick the Jeep up tomorrow and keep an eye on the house. Let us know what you'll be needing for the baby for the wedding."

"We will. Thank you again." Jes gave them each one last hug. "It means the world to me."

"Anytime." Meg smiled. "Call us, when you get home."

"Yes, Meg." Jes rolled her eyes. "I will. I promise. Love you guys."

"Love you too." Meg blew them a kiss as they headed to the Jeep and watched as they pulled away from the house.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was eager but nervous for tonight's supper. She was really hoping that her uncles were being honest and that they weren't playing her like her aunt had played her grandparents.

"Hey, Jes… everything okay?" Antonio asked as she parked the car.

"We've been here a couple months… we're going home now… It's… I guess I'm just a little sad."

"I figured that much… but what else is wrong?"

"I'm that obvious?"

"Mom, even Diego and I can tell something is bothering you and we're just kids." Eva said softly.

"I give up." Jes sighed. "What if my uncles are just playing me?"

"Mom…" Diego put his hand on Jes' arm. "From what Dad told us… they seem to genuinely want to be a part of your life again. And if they're not… Dad and me… we'll teach them a lesson."

Jes burst out into laughter. "Thank you, Diego… I appreciate that, but nobody's going to be teaching anyone any lessons…"

"Yeah… we'll just walk away like grown ups and be mature about all this." Eva said. "I don't want Dad getting arrested before we're supposed to be getting on a flight home."

"I agree with your sister." Antonio smiled. "I'm glad though… that we all agree that nothing is going to ruin our family."

"Never, Dad." Diego fist bumped him. "Nothing can tear us apart."

"Ever." Jes and Eva said in unison, putting their hands over Antonio's and Diego's.

Together they headed into the restaurant to meet with Jes' uncles and her cousin.

* * *

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* * *

"Jeslyn!" Adrien waved at them as they walked into the restaurant. "We're here."

Jes waved back. "Let's go join them." She never let go of Antonio's hand. He was her rock and that was all she would ever need to get through anything in their lives.

Adrien and Pierre stood to greet their niece and her family. A young man stood up and stood next to Adrien. Adrien put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Jake, this is your cousin Jeslyn."

Jake smiled shyly at her. "Hi."

"Hi Jake. It's nice to meet you… again… last time I saw you… you were a little tyke in your mom's arms."

"Mom's working tonight, but she asked me to give you this." Jake handed her an envelope. "She said she's sorry and she hopes that she'll see you when you come back up."

Jes took the envelope. "Does Aunt Tracey still work as a nurse at the University Hospital?"

Jake shook his head. "No. She uh… she's head nurse in the Labour and Delivery ward at the Lois Hole Centre."

"Wow." Jes grinned. "She's gotta be rocking that job. How old are you now?"

"Going to be 14 in November." Jake smiled. "Then Dad can finally teach me how to drive."

"Oh, Jake… I don't think I'm ready for putting you on the road just yet." Adrien laughed. "Come on, let's sit down and eat. I suspect you have the be at the airport a few hours before your flight."

"Yeah… sadly Antonio takes forever to get through security." Jes snickered as she slid into the chair that Antonio had pulled out for her.

"Consequence of being a cop that has permission to have his weapon with him." Antonio said as he took his seat. "So… what's good to eat here?"

"Pretty much anything that involves meat." Pierre laughed. He waved the waitress over. "Beth, this is my niece."

The bubbly redhead shook Jes' hand. "Pleasure to meet you. Your uncle has told me a lot about you since he saw you again last week."

Jes looked between Beth and her uncle. "Umm."

"Oh… right. Jes, Beth is my girlfriend." Pierre chuckled. "I guess I should've led with that."

"Oh! Hi. Yes. It's uh… It's nice to meet you. I guess I have some catching up to do too." Jes laughed.

"There's time. Now that you guys have been, you know, reunited… you have time to catch up. We'll all have time to get to know each other." Beth said cheerfully. "So, can I start you off with something to drink?"

They placed their drink and appetizer orders and Beth left to put the order in.

Jes leaned back in her chair and placed her hand on her belly. The baby was very active right now. She snickered to herself. This baby knew its family. She had to trust the baby and her own gut that this was all real.

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* * *

By 8, they had to leave. Jes hugged her uncles and cousin. She promised to stay in touch and ensured that they'd be welcome in Chicago anytime. They headed off to the airport. They parked the Jeep where Damien had told them to and took the shuttle to the main departure gates. Again, the kids and Jes had no trouble getting through security but Antonio had to go through a little more red tape to get through.

Once through, they went to gate and waited for their flight. Antonio watched as the kids dozed off on each other's shoulders. "Well, at least we'll have a peaceful flight back."

Jes nodded. "Yeah. So, we should talk about names eventually here."

"Yeah, I guess… Especially since we're going to be having a surprise, we should pick one for a girl and one for a boy?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking… a Spanish name if it's a boy… and a French name if it's a girl."

"I like that idea." Antonio kissed the top of her head. "Baby's been active hasn't it?"

Jes sighed. "Yeah. I'm thinking possibly a boxer like daddy… or maybe… a soccer player…"

Antonio laughed. "I'm happy as long as you and the baby are healthy. That's all that matters."

Jes agreed. "I'm all for that. Is it weird that I actually miss Chicago?"

"No. It's been a break… now you're ready to get back to the daily grind. Can't say that I won't be missing the sleeping in that we've been able to do."

"Ah… yes… I'll be missing that… though we may want to get used to missing sleep… I hear newborns don't sleep straight through the night until they're at least 6 months old."

"I vaguely remember that… but eventually they end up like that." Antonio pointed to their sleeping children. "They also sleep in at that age."

"So only another 10 years or so before we get a good night's sleep?"

"Uh… I probably won't be getting a good night sleep again for a long time. Soon enough… Eva's going to want to date… and go to college. Diego's going start making other friends… maybe a girl…"

"Antonio… you're jumping the gun." Jes laughed. "Let's just get home and we'll take it all one day at a time."

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… we're headed home and we're going back to the events of Season 2. I dedicate this chapter to my grandparents… My grandfather (Pépère) on my mom's side died February 14, 2011. He went home to be with my Mémère who passed away February 3, 1979. I never met her, but I'm told I look exactly like her and I know they're watching over me in everything I do. They've kept me safe on more than one occasion. My guardian angels. I hope you've enjoyed this part of the Canadian adventure… more to come soon. The inspiration for this chapter is the song "When I See You Again." By Emerson Drive.**_


	29. Kiss Good Night

_**A/N: Okay, so I know I have owed you guys a chapter for a few weeks now… and I do apologize for taking so long. I am in the middle of a job switch. I have gone from being a full-time high school teacher to finishing my online college course to doing my internship as a medical assistant. The hours are better and the stress level is way lower. I'm so, so, so sorry for taking this long to update. Usually, I try to update at least once a week. I will be making more of an effort to get at least one chapter a week up. Please let me know what you think. I'm trying to rush through these few episodes from Season 2 that weren't my favourites from that season.**_

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* * *

They landed at Midway just before 3 in the morning. Luckily for them, Jay had picked up Jes' Journey and was meeting them at the airport. They hadn't wanted to disturb anyone else, but Jay insisted that he meet them. Jes knew he was missing her. She had missed him too. So much had happened in the last couple months. She had lost and gained in her family and she'd come to realize that even though it seemed like the world was out to get her, it definitely wasn't the case. After they'd cleared customs, they headed straight to the Arrivals exit of the airport. They saw Jay standing next to Jes' Journey. He ran to greet them.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his little sister and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so glad your home."

"I'm glad to be home too, Jay." She laughed.

"Was the flight good?"

"It was better than when we went down." Antonio said as he began to put their bags in the bag of the SUV. "The kids slept, but I think they're still wiped."

"Yeah, I don't doubt it." Jay said, pulling open one of the side doors. "Alright, guys. Let's get you home to bed."

The kids didn't need to be asked twice. They clambered into the Journey, buckled up and were sound asleep again.

"Oh, to be young again." Jes snickered. "How are things here?"

"Well, Burgess is coming back to work tomorrow… and I don't know if Antonio told you, but Erin left."

"Huh?" Jes looked between Antonio and Jay. "What do you mean 'left'?"

"She got offered this top job working on a joint task force thing and she took it." Jay said.

Jes could hear the disappointment in his voice. He missed having Erin as a partner. As much as Jes wasn't Erin Lindsay's number 1 fan, she didn't like seeing her brother this way. It was obvious that Jay care for her more than just as a partner. "Well, it's not like she's disappearing, right? You can still see her and stuff… it just won't be at work."

Antonio patted Jay's shoulder. "You could actually date her now too… she's not in our unit… Voight won't be able to bitch."

"Antonio is making a very good point for you, big brother." Jes kissed Jay's cheek. "It could be the best thing for you guys."

Jay sighed. "I guess you guys are both right."

"I think that's the first time you've ever said that." Jes laughed. "Come on. Let's go home." She froze. "But first, give me your hand."

Jay looked at her. "Why?"

"Just trust her." Antonio said before climbing in the back seat with the kids.

Jay gave Jes his hand. She undid her jacket and put his hand on her belly. "Feel that?"

Jay could feel something pushing against his hand. "Is that?"

Jes nodded gleefully. "Your little niece or nephew."

"Oh my God! Got a strong kick! Or is that a punch?"

Jes shrugged. "Not sure, but they're active. Antonio says boxing or soccer is in their future."

Jay laughed. "I don't doubt it. Wow. That's… just wow."

Jes zipped up her coat. "Let's get home. It's already March and I'm still freezing."

Jay nodded and got in the driver's seat. They headed back home. Jes may have missed being back in Alberta, but this was home now. It was time to move onto the next chapter in her life, and that chapter was being written right here in Chicago.

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* * *

Antonio got up early the next morning. While he didn't have to go into work, he didn't want to delay his return much longer. It was going to be that much harder if he kept putting it off. He headed to Chicago Med to get his clearance paper work filled out. He kissed Jes gently on the lips and went to leave.

"Antonio?" She yawned. "Where are you going?"

"Med… I've got to get the paperwork filled out so I can be cleared for duty." He whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"Does this mean you're going back to work today too?"

"Depends on what Voight says when I bring him the paperwork."

"Do you have to?" She pulled the blanket up a little.

"Yes… do I want to?" He bent down and kissed her again. "No. I'd much rather been here with you and the kids… but I think even you need to get back to work."

She nodded. "I know. I guess the time we've had off spoiled me."

"Probably. When did you tell Jacquie you'd be back at P2K?"

"Tomorrow. Um… I have an appointment with Dr. Mayo here at 4 today… think you can make it?"

Antonio nodded. "Almost certainly. Want me to pick you up or meet you there?"

"Let's play it by ear." She smiled. "Get going, or I'm going to hold you hostage and neither of us will be going anywhere."

"That's not much of a threat, but I get what you mean. I love you, Jes."

"I love you, Antonio." Jes sighed. She laid back down and dozed off.

Antonio smiled. Jes definitely didn't have to be up yet. It was only 5. He still wanted to hit the gym too. Whether or not he was going back to work today, he wanted to get back into his routine. He didn't want to fall out of shape. He headed to the gym and then he'd head to Med to meet up with Alec to get his clearance. From there, he'd see what Voight wanted him to do. He knew that this was going to be a tough adjustment, but he needed to work as much as possible to make sure he could get the time off for the baby and the wedding. He wasn't going to miss those two things. His family was his top priority and he had to make sure that it stayed that way.

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* * *

Jes woke up 3 hours later and for the first time since she'd found out that she was pregnant, she wasn't nauseated. "Well, peanut… thank you for no more morning sickness." She rubbed her belly. Part of her was wondering if Antonio had been right in wanting to know what they were having, but the other part knew that she'd be a human pincushion until this baby came so she wanted to have at least one surprise to hold on to. She had a quick shower and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. She was surprised when she saw that Eva had already made breakfast.

"Hi Mom." Eva smiled. "I made pancakes."

"I can see that. They smell amazing." Jes grinned. "How long have you been up?"

"Half an hour? I couldn't sleep anymore." Eva said timidly. "Is Diego still asleep?"

"Probably, but he won't be for long as soon as he smells the pancakes and bacon."

Right on cue, Diego rushed into the kitchen pulling a wrinkled T-shirt on. "Smells delicious."

"Thank your sister." Jes grinned. "I just got up myself."

Diego high-fived his sister. "Thanks Eva." He grabbed a plate and headed to table.

Eva turned to Jes. "Dad gone already?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. He wanted to get a head start on getting back to work. I think he wants us to get back into a real routine. We'll need one for when the baby gets here."

"Can we come to the appointment today?" Eva asked.

"Yeah. We'd like to see the baby." Diego said, mouth full of pancakes.

Jes laughed. "Sure, you can be there for the ultrasound… anything else though, you'll wait outside."

"Sounds good." Eva handed Jes a plate before grabbing her own. "When are we going back to P2K?"

"Tomorrow. Jacquie is going to take a couple weeks off to spend time working on her wedding plans and regain her sanity from doing my job for the last couple months. You guys are really caught up in school. I could probably use a little bit of help keeping things running smoothly."

"Anything, Mom." Diego took his place and put it in the dishwasher. "Um, I'm going to go rearrange my room and stuff and finish that last science unit. Uncle Jay still owes me some math help."

"That's true." Jes grinned. "I'll remind him of that when I talk to him in a little bit."

"Cool!" Diego hugged Jes and ran off to his bedroom.

Eva took to tidying up the kitchen. "Hey, Mom?"

"Yes, Eva?"

"Are you happy to be back here in Chicago?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. As much as it was nice to visit my old home, this is home now. It's home for us… for the baby. It's all part of our new beginnings."

"Mom?"

"What's up?"

"Is everything going to be okay?"

"With who?"

"All of us?"

"Eva? Is there something that's bothering you?"

Eva shook her head, and then nodded. "This is all changing… and don't get me wrong, I love my family now..."

"You're missing your real mom… that's normal." Jes hugged Eva. "I felt that way too… Even to this day. I can't replace her." Jes patted the stool next to hers. "Um… I was a little older than you when my mom and step-dad were killed by a drunk driver. I can't say we had the best relationship, but I still missed her. Eva, it's perfectly normal to be feeling mixed emotions right now… they'll be there for a while."

"You're not upset?"

"Eva, I could never be upset over this. I told you guys when your dad and I first got together that I'm not trying to replace your mom. I never could, I never will be able to. I can try to be a friend and be the best mom I can be for you guys. I also promise that this baby isn't going to be more loved than you guys. You're all going to be our children and you will all be loved equally."

"I know. I just wonder if she's proud of me… and Diego."

"Eva, your mother loved you… she'll always be with you and I know she's proud of you."

"Thanks Mom."

"No problem."

"Hey, Mom?"

Jes sighed. "Yeah?"

"Do you think she thought I still was mad at her in the end?"

"No. I know she knew that you never meant that… she knew and still knows that you love her."

Eva hugged Jes tightly and headed to her room to change and get ready for the day. Jes tidied up the kitchen and went to call Jacquie to do a quick check up. Despite being gone for the last two months, Jacquie had reassured Jes on multiple occasions that P2K was running smoothly and that Jes had nothing to worry about.

"Power 2 Kids, Jacquie speaking." Jacquie's voice came over Jes' cell.

"Hey."

"Jes! You're back!" Jacquie squealed. "When did you get in?"

"About 3 this morning. Jay picked us up."

"Where are Antonio and the kids?"

"The kids are unpacking and doing inventory of what we have in the house. We're going to do a grocery run in the very near future… like tonight."

"That answers part of the question. Where's Antonio?"

"He went to Med to get cleared for duty."

"I see. I'm taking you're not sure how you feel about it."

Jes sighed. "I'm that predictable?"

"No, but you care about him. He's the father of your children… he's going to be your husband. He's probably one of the most important people in your life right now."

"How are the kids at P2K?"

"Happy that you're coming back. They've redecorated your office."

"Oh boy."

Jacquie laughed. "Yep. Expect lots of colour, sparkle and balloons."

"Well, I guess it just shows that we're doing something right."

"Definitely. So, um… what's the news on the baby front?"

"I see Dr. Mayo tonight at 4."

"Antonio going to be able to make it?"

"He said he would. I can't be sure though. If he's back at work, he may not get off work on time." Jes said.

Jacquie could hear the worry in Jes' voice. "Hey, did he promise you that he'd be there?"

"Yeah."

"I may not know Antonio as well as you, but I do know for a fact that he loves you and he's a man of his word. If he said he'll be there, he'll be there."

"Thanks, Jacquie."

"For what?"

"For making me see reason and helping me stop being such a worry wart."

"Hey! What else are besties for?"

Jes laughed. "Will you be there tomorrow for the hand off?"

"Would I honestly leave you to come back without me at least here to help ease you back into it?"

"No." Jes laughed. "Just had to check though."

"Did you bring me those ultrasound pics I asked you for?" Jacquie prodded.

"Yes. Now, I have to go change and see what we all need to go buy. I have a sneaky suspicion that our house has kinda been empty of the food factor for the last two months."

"That would be true. Um, also, I know we already talked a little bit about your grandpa and all that, but if you need to talk more, I'm here for you."

"I appreciate it. Um, I'll be taking you up on that. There are some things I didn't tell you yet, and it's better said in person."

"Fair enough. Maybe we should do a supper together with both families this weekend?"

"Sounds good… I'll cook. I need to get back into the kitchen and cook for a huge group of people."

"Sure thing. I'll tell Kevin tonight. Anyhow, I've gotta go make sure the culinary group isn't burning down the kitchen. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Definitely, and thanks again, Jacquie. It means the world to me that you've been doing this for me."

"Let me know how that baby is doing later tonight!"

"Will do. Kisses!"

Jacquie blew some kisses back and ended the call. Jes put the phone down and went to get dressed. Once dressed, she and the kids set about to making what was about to be a massive grocery list. They barely had baking essentials that hadn't gone bad.

"Well, should we go do this now or wait for Dad to come home?" Jes asked the kids.

"Unless Dad wants us eating more take-out, I say we can go and get it done before your appointment." Diego grinned running to the coat closet to grab their reusable grocery bags. "So, can we go?"

"Sure." Jes laughed. "Just let me grab my purse."

The kids ran to the Journey, while Jes locked the house. She was thankful, now more than ever, that she'd been left significant amount of money because today's grocery bill was going to be through the roof and she definitely didn't want Antonio to see the grand total. Money was still a sore spot in their relationship. Despite the fact that she worked regular hours like anyone else, she did have quite an amount of funds from her parents' life insurances, as well as what was her inheritance from her grandfather. Antonio had always insisted on splitting all the bills, and Jes felt bad about that arrangement. Today, she was splurging. They were going to the market to get fresh produce and then to the butcher that Kevin had recommended to pick up a bulk order of meat. She had also arranged to pick up an order from the bakery. She didn't really have the energy to bake any goodies lately. Dr. Mayo had warned her that as her pregnancy progressed, she'd be more easily tired. She hopped in the Journey and headed out. She prayed that, despite it being a massive undertaking, they'd be done everything before her 4pm appointment.

* * *

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* * *

It was 3:30 when Antonio called. Jes was driving from the market to her appointment. Eva answered Jes' cell. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Eva. Where's Jes?"

"Driving. We're headed to the appointment now."

"Ah. Tell her I'll meet you guys there."

"Sure thing, Dad. Drive safe." Eva smiled and hung up the call. "Dad's gonna meet us there."

"Dad always keeps his promises." Diego laughed. "See, Mom. Nothing to worry about. Are you sure we can't find out what it is?"

"It's a baby." Jes said deadpan.

"Ha ha." Diego shook his head. "I really wanna know if I'm having a brother or sister."

"Mom doesn't want to know… so drop it." Eva glared at her brother. "As long as the baby's healthy that's all that's going to matter in the end."

Diego slumped back in his seat. "I wanted to help Dad get the nursery ready."

"Dad and I already said we're going with yellows for the baby's room with a Care Bear theme."

"Oh. I think Dad forgot to mention that." Diego said. "Wait, Care Bears?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with Care Bears?" Jes asked.

"Nothing… just not a theme that I would've thought of." Diego looked out the window. "Looks like we're gonna get rain."

"Possibly." Jes sighed. She could see the sky getting darker. The problem with rain now would be that if it froze, there'd be glare ice over every road in or out of Chicago. "I love Care Bears. It's bright colours and it's very neutral."

"I think they're cute." Eva smiled. "I think I may have one of my old stuffed ones that I can give to the baby too."

"That would be very sweet." Jes pulled into a tall building's parkade. "Alright, so… Dr. Mayo's office is on the 10th floor. Let's get up there and hope that your dad made it here already."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes and the kids walked into the medical office and were greeted by the nurse at the desk.

"Hi, I'm Jeslyn Halstead. I have an appointment with Dr. Mayo… his brother was supposed to have sent the file."

The nurse typed a couple things into the computer and smiled. "Of course. Your husband is already here. He just ran to the bathroom. Just have a seat. We'll get you into a room in no time."

The kids ran to find a seat close to the piles of magazines that cluttered the shelving on the walls. Jes heaved a sigh and sat down. While they'd gotten everything at the produce market and bakery, she still had to go to the butchers, and she had a sneaky suspicion that Antonio wasn't going to let her go alone. _'Oh well'_ she thought. _'At least I'll have someone to carry it to the car for me.'_

Antonio appeared and sat next to her. "Just got here?"

"Yep." Jes kissed him. "Supposedly my husband is here waiting."

Antonio shook his head. "It's a lot easier to say husband than continuously explain our story to everyone."

"I know. I'm just bugging you. Did you drive here?"

"No, your brother dropped me off. I actually had him pick me up this morning… my truck needs new tires. Blew one out on the way to the gym this morning."

"Shit." Jes said. "Well, at least it's getting fixed."

"I actually have to get all of them replaced. There's barely any tread left on them."

"Ah. Well, as long as it's going to be lasting you a while, then it's worth it, right?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, but it means until tomorrow night, I'm bumming rides from Jay and Kevin."

"I don't think it's that much of a hassle for them."

Antonio was about to reply that he felt like a pain in the ass when the nurse appeared and called them in.

"Is it okay that the kids come too?" Jes asked. "They want to see their little brother or sister."

The nurse nodded. "Of course. If the doctor has to do other tests, he'll just ask everyone else to leave."

The whole family followed her to a brightly coloured room. She handed Jes a gown and showed her wear she could go change and left the room. Jes went to change and the others sat around the exam table. It didn't take long that Jes reappeared and sat on the table, pulling the blanket up and under the gown. This way, when it was lifted for the ultrasound, she didn't have to worry about modesty.

"Knock knock." A thick Chilean accent came from behind the door.

"Come in." Jes said. She leaned back against the exam table.

"Hello." Dr. Mayo strode into the room. "You must be Jeslyn."

Jes nodded, blushing. "Hi."

"Last time I saw you, you were a newborn." He laughed. "You have certain features of your mother."

Jes blushed again. This definitely wasn't the first time she'd heard that, nor would it be the last time. "So I'm told."

"I was sorry to hear of her passing, and your father's. My sympathies."

"Thank you."

"So, who do we all have here?"

"This is my fiancé, Antonio and our children, Eva and Diego."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Dr. Mayo shook everyone's hands. "According to my brother's notes, this is your second pregnancy but it'll be your first delivery. I read what happened, again, I'm very sorry."

"It's okay. I've made peace with what's happened over the last few years. You're probably wondering about the kids?"

Dr. Carlos Mayo nodded.

"I adopted them, right before Christmas."

"Ah. Well, then… now that all that is out of the way, let's discuss this new bundle of joy. How have things been going?"

"The morning sickness stopped today. I've been tired, but at least I'm not puking all the time."

"That's a good start. We're already into the second trimester." Dr. Mayo moved the ultrasound machine closer to the exam table. "Let's have a look at the little one."

Jes lifted her gown. "We don't want to know the sex."

"I got those notes already." Dr. Mayo laughed. "Well, let's see here." He gently moved the probe around her belly. "There we go. That is baby's head… and right there is its heart."

"Mom, it's so small!" Eva exclaimed.

Diego was left speechless.

"If the baby is that small, how come my mom has such a big bump already?" Eva asked.

"Well, different reasons. Baby may look small on here but may actually be bigger. Could be the way that baby is laying in there. I'd actually usually be saying there's twins in there, but there's absolutely no sign of a second baby."

"Thank God." Jes breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't think I could handle having twins right now."

"Javi and Victoria have been doing just fine in that department." Antonio commented. "Is the baby healthy?"

"Very. Brain and spinal cord look really good. Baby has a lot of movement; heart rate is a little on the slower side but still in the very healthy range. Everything looks great."

"Baby is definitely very active." Jes laughed. "I think it's going to be like daddy and have one heck of a punch."

Dr. Mayo cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm a boxer… had a shot at the Olympics, but I was being deployed at the time."

"Ah. Well, I can tell you that the baby is healthy, and the activity is great. Though, if you see here, that is a kick."

Jes winced as the baby did deliver a swift kick to her side. "Yep."

The kids laughed. Antonio just squeezed Jes' hand.

"Okay, I need to do some other tests." Dr. Mayo turned to them. "How about you guys go wait in the waiting room, and when Jes is done, she'll meet you out there?"

"Sounds good, Doc." Antonio shook the doctor's hand. "Come on, kids. Let's let Mom be for now."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was thumbing through a book for dads when Diego sat down next to him.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Are you going back to work?"

Antonio closed the book. "Yeah. Next shift is the day after tomorrow."

"So you're off tomorrow?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Do you think that maybe… you could come with us to P2K tomorrow… I think Mom would like it… especially since it's her first day back."

"What is the actual ulterior motive here, Diego?"

"Dad, um… we just… I think…"

"What Diego's trying to say is, we'd like to have you come to P2K tomorrow. It'll help Mom… and us readjust to being back in the real world." Eva jumped in.

"If Mom's okay with it, then sure." Antonio smiled. "So what did you guys all do today?"

"Uh, I made breakfast, then Diego finished his last science module and cleaned his room. I finished my big history paper on the Civil War and put all the laundry away. Then we helped Mom do inventory of our pantries and stuff… and then we went shopping."

"Grocery shopping, I assume?"

Diego nodded. "Yeah. We went everywhere except the butcher's."

"Butcher's? Didn't you guys just go to Costco?"

Diego turned to his sister. Their eyes widened. "Uh?"

Jes' voice caused them to turn. "No, we didn't go to Costco. We went to the market for produce, the bakery for the baked goods and we're going to the butcher that Kevin recommended to me for our meat. It's already ordered. We just need to pick it up." She turned to the kids. "Grab your coats and we're going to head out before that rain hits. I just have to book my next appointment." She quickly went to the desk and had the nurse confirm the next appointment. "Alright, let's go."

Antonio zipped up his coat and pulled on his toque. "I'm ready when you are."

The kids ran ahead to the elevator. Antonio took Jes' hand. "What's wrong with Costco?"

"I didn't want that. I wanted fresh, healthy options. Especially for the kids and the baby."

"But it's expensive. At least at Costco, we get that 2.5% or whatever back."

"Yeah, but it isn't necessarily going to last. Please, Antonio. Can we not argue about money this one time?"

"Jes, I'm old fashioned. I don't like that you have to pay that much… and my salary."

Jes stopped in her tracks. "Antonio, I didn't fall in love with you because of your wallet. I'm not marrying you because I'm some gold digging tramp. I love you for you. I may be a little old fashioned, but I don't believe that we have to have bare minimums, because we wouldn't have the money. I've got more than enough from inheritances… and I can use it however I choose. I'm choosing to spend it on **our** family."

Antonio sighed. "I'm not winning, am I?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope. Babe, please don't take this as I'm trying to offend you or that I'm undermining your manliness or something like that."

"I'm not. I guess I'm just so used to having to stretch every dollar because…"

"That's the past, babe." Jes stroked his cheek. "This is our future." She put his hand on her belly. Then she pointed to the kids who were eagerly waiting at the elevator. "They are our future."

"You're right." Antonio kissed her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Just… you have to learn that I'm not some little porcelain doll that can't fend for herself. I've been on my own for a long time. I'm not really used to having everything paid for or anything like that. Everything's always been paid half and half… and I don't want to push you to your limits either."

"I love you." Antonio whispered. "I love our family. If you really want to splurge on groceries, I won't argue. I just want you happy."

"Dad, come on! The elevator's coming." Diego was waving his arms. "Hurry!"

Jes laughed. "We're coming!" She lowered her voice. "For me to be happy, I need to have the best for our family when it comes to food."

"Alright. Then, let's go to the butcher's." They got to the elevator just as it dinged and the doors opened.

"Finally!" Diego said, exhasperated.

"Diego, it wasn't that long of a wait." Eva laughed. "I think Mom and Dad are entitled to a little alone time."

"Thank you, Eva." Jes smiled.

"But…" Diego looked to his dad. "It's already raining. Mom said she wanted to leave before the rain started."

"We're going to be fine, buddy." Antonio ruffled his hair. "If Mom's too afraid to drive, I'll drive."

"I'm fine to drive." Jes laughed. "Let's just go. Preferably before the butcher shop closes. I don't want to have to pay extra for holding it an extra day."

They ran from the elevator to the Journey and headed out into the blinding rain.

* * *

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* * *

After an hour to get to the butcher shop and another hour and a half to get home, they finally arrived safe and sound. Jes parked the Journey in the garage. Antonio sent her ahead. She'd gotten soaked while going between the car and the shop to pick up the meat. He and the children would set about to unload the Journey. Jes went and changed her clothes.

Antonio was bringing in the last of the bags of produce. "What all did you buy?"

"Mom said we had nothing. We literally searched the whole house for everything. We barely had enough flour, eggs and stuff for pancakes and bacon this morning." Eva sighed. She put the bag with the baked goods down. "Plus, having more spices and herbs is always a good thing."

"Jes definitely has influenced the way we eat and live." Antonio laughed.

"Hey, that's not a bad thing." Jes said as she came back into the kitchen. "Go, change. I'll start putting this stuff away."

"It's getting late." Antonio pointed out.

"I'm not about to leave all this meat and produce go to waste… and we need to eat something… and no, we are not ordering pizza."

*Ding dong!*

"Who the hell is here this late at night?" Jes went to answer the door. She looked at the new security screen that had been installed by the door. "Jay?"

"Yeah, sis. It's a little wet out here. Can you let me in?" Jay called out.

Jes opened the door. "What the hell are you doing here at this time of night? Don't you guys work tomorrow?"

Jay stepped in and shook his head. Water splashed Jes. "No, we're off tomorrow. Antonio texted me, said you were just getting home now and that you were hungry."

"Did he?" Jes cocked an eyebrow. "What did you bring?"

"Antonio recommended I order a variety of things that may suit whatever you're currently craving because of my little niece or nephew."

"I hope you brought burgers and fries." Jes grumbled.

"Your favourite." Jay handed her a bag. "Bacon cheeseburger with onion straws, BBQ sauce and extra pickles. I also added Monterey Jack to the cheddar because Antonio says it's your go to cheese."

Jes tried to keep her frown, but it didn't succeed. She took the bag and thanked her brother. "I guess I can go one night without cooking for myself."

"Good girl." Antonio kissed her cheek. "The groceries are all put away… well the ones that needed to be put in the fridge or freezer. The dried and canned goods can wait until tomorrow and that's the end of that."

"Yes, dear." Jes sighed. "I'm too tired to argue."

"Good." Antonio said. "Let's eat."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **The next morning…**_

Antonio woke up and Jes wasn't in bed. He looked around. She wasn't anywhere in their bedroom or the master bathroom. He pulled on a pair of his CPD sweats and padded towards the kitchen. He glanced at the clock in the hallway and saw that it was almost 7:30. This was late for him, but was early for Jes. Or at least it was early for her considering the past few months. He still remembered when they met and she'd gotten up at 5:30 because it was the routine she'd started with Jay. He stretched. He knew today was his last free day before going back to the grind. _Maybe I should make her breakfast._ He thought. _Maybe a frittata with some sausages and croissants._

His thought process was interrupted when he walked into the kitchen. Jes was already there. He wasn't going to complain though. Seeing her in this way made him remember that first morning she'd stayed with him. She was still wearing her nightshirt. With her growing belly, it sat a little higher than when they'd first met. She was still oblivious to him being there. She was singing along with Britney Spears' "Hit Me One More Time". She was dancing along to the tune. Antonio had to stifle a laugh. He remembered having to listen to this back when Gaby was in high school. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched as the woman he loved made breakfast. He was going to enjoy each moment of this. There was going to be few moments like this left. He knew he'd have to put in as many hours as possible before the baby came so he'd be able to get the time off for the wedding and honeymoon. He also wanted to have some time with Jes and the kids before they headed back to Alberta to finalize the wedding details. He was lost in thought when Jes spun around.

"Jesus Christ! Antonio!" Jes jumped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"About three songs. I've seen your moves for 'Lady Marmalade', 'Genie in a Bottle' and 'Hit Me One More Time'." Antonio snickered. "I didn't realize you could dance like that."

Jes put the plates she was holding down on the island and walked over to him. "That's not even funny." She smacked his shoulder.

"I think…" He pulled her tightly into his arms. "That is probably the sexiest thing I've seen in a while." He kissed her. "I was going to try and surprise you with breakfast in bed, but you beat me to it."

"The alarm went off at 5:30, I got up… and left you to sleep." She whispered. Her breath was hitching. "I… uh… I didn't want to wake you."

"You're all hot and bothered, babe?" He whispered in her ear.

She cleared her throat. "Uh… you… umm…" She didn't know what to say, so she gently and slowly slid her hand down his tone stomach to the very obvious, and hard, member that was poking into her. "That's not morning wood, Detective."

"No. It's you dancing around in next to nothing while making breakfast." He kissed her again, gently nipping at her lip. "Anything that can burn?"

"No. The food's all cooked." Her voice was hoarse.

"The kids awake?"

She shook her head.

"Good." He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, kicking the door closed behind them. He laid her down on the bed.

"Antonio, the kids…" She whispered.

"Are going to be fine. Right now, we both need this." He slid his sweats off, and then went to work on pulling Jes' nightshirt off. He took a minute to admire her changing body. Her breasts were fuller and her skin had a glow to it. He lowered his head to the nape of her neck and began to place kisses down her neck all the way down her chest. He kissed and sucked on each breast. He loved watching Jes' body react to his kisses and his touch.

"Antonio, don't… don't tease me." She moaned. "Please… I need you."

"Where?"

"Antonio… I need you… In… me…" She pleaded. "Now!"

Antonio kissed her as he slid into her. He moaned as she clamped down around him. "Jes."

"Antonio." She pushed her hips up to meet his. "Oh God!"

He knew he wasn't going to last much longer. He matched her tempo, leaving her in control of their passion. She tightened as she hit her climax, and Antonio lost it. He forced himself to breathe and not collapse on top of his pregnant fiancé. He slowly rolled over and pulled Jes into his arms, stroking her jawline. "You okay?"

"Uh huh." She nodded. Her breath was shaking and her skin was covered in tiny goosebumps.

"You cold, baby?"

"No, just… wow." She nuzzled right next to him. "Jesus."

"No, you can call me Antonio."

She smacked his chest. "Do you think the kids heard?"

"Doubt it, and even if they did… meh." He kissed her. "Can you move?"

"Um… not really, my legs are kinda numb." She sighed contently. "I think I could get used to that."

"We'd have to get up a little earlier, love."

"I can live with that." She sighed. "Oo!" She grabbed his hand and put his hand right where the baby was moving. "He's active again."

"What if it's a she?"

"Baby is active." Jes sighed. "You're not going to convince me to find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Darn." He laughed.

There was a knock at their bedroom door. "Dad? Is Mom still sleeping?" Diego's voice came from the other side.

"Yeah, uh no… buddy. We're both just getting up… well Mom's going to have a shower… your guys' breakfast is already on the counter."

"Thanks, Dad!"

Jes stifled her laughter as she could hear the kids bolt for the kitchen. "You know there aren't going to be any cinnamon buns left, right?"

"I can whip up a mean omelette after we shower. The kids asked me to join you guys at P2K today."

"And?"

"I'm thinking I will. Help everyone get back into the grind of our new everyday lives."

"Then, help me off the bed and let's go shower." She extended her hand.

Antonio helped her off the bed and led her to the bathroom.

* * *

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* * *

Twenty minutes later, they were showered, changed and headed to the kitchen.

"How were the cinnamon buns?" Jes asked, pointing to the near empty plate of cinnamon buns.

"Amazing!" Eva exclaimed.

"Glad you enjoyed them." Jes smiled. "So, we almost all ready to head out?"

"Aren't you guys gonna eat?" Diego asked.

"I'm gonna make myself a breakfast sandwich to go and your dad can have the last cinnamon bun." Jes grinned. She grabbed one of the English muffins from the fridge, along with an egg, slice of cheese and some ham. "Make sure you've got everything. We'll be at P2K until about 8 tonight."

"Got it!" The kids ran to their rooms to grab their bags.

Antonio poured himself some coffee into a travel mug. "Think they heard?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope, and if they did, they're not letting on to it."

"Works for me." He kissed her cheek. "Are you gonna let me drive?"

"As long as you're not driving like you drive your truck in one of those high speed chases." Jes grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge.

"I promise." Antonio smiled. "Eva, Diego, let's go!"

"Coming!"

Antonio poured a little cream into his coffee before putting it back in the fridge. "Alright, one last day of normal before we start our new normal."

"Dad, normal is a setting on the dryer." Eva pointed out.

"You stole that from Jes."

"Actually from Jacquie… but it's true!"

"Get in the SUV… please?" Antonio sighed.

The kids headed out. Jes set the alarm system and they headed out to P2K.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio spent the majority of the morning supervising different sporting activities while Jes got caught up with Jacquie. Their kids were keeping busy by helping other kids with homework, or in Eva's case, helped some of the younger girls learn how to do braids and different hair styles. Antonio was headed to Jes' office to ask her what she was going to want to do for lunch when his cell began to buzz. "Dawson."

"Antonio? Where the fuck are you?" Jay's voice was gruff.

"P2K. Helping Jes and the kids get back to the grind. Why?"

"Voight got a call from Erin. She needs Intelligence to help out on some big cartel case."

"I'm not cleared until tomorrow."

"'Tonio… come on man." Jay pleaded.

"I don't got my truck right now. I'm not about to take Jes' vehicle either. You're gonna have to come get me."

"What are you gonna tell my sister and the kids?"

"The truth. I'm not about to start lying."

"Lying about what?" Jes' voice made Antonio jump.

"See you in a few, Antonio." Jay snorted as he ended the call.

"That was your brother." Antonio sighed.

"They need you." Jes sighed, rubbing her belly.

"Yep. Erin actually called Voight to borrow Intelligence."

"I thought she was in some fancy task force now?" Jes asked.

"She is, but I guess the task force can't get the job done." Antonio put his phone away. "Jay's on his way now. I'm sorry, baby."

"Hey, it's fine. Just promise me that you're not going to be getting shot at."

"I don't make any guarantees that I won't get shot at… but I will guarantee I won't be getting hit." Antonio kissed her. "I'll be home later tonight. Take care of yourself and the kids."

"I will. Te amo, Antonio."

"Te amo, mi amor." He kissed her again. "Glad to see some of the Spanish is rubbing off on you. I'm gonna go talk to the kids." He bent down and kissed her belly. "Be good for mama." He turned and headed off to find Eva and Diego.

Jes was rubbing her belly when Jacquie rounded the corner.

"Where's Antonio?"

"Voight called in Intelligence." Jes sighed.

Jacquie hugged her. "I'm sorry, hunni. Wait, I thought today was their day off."

"It was supposed to be, but I guess Erin's new task force is as useless as teats on a boar." Jes snickered. "Come on, let's get the culinary group going so we can have a decent lunch. I'll be making pizzas for the evening group."

"Works for me." Jacquie slipped her arm through Jes' and they headed to the kitchen.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jacquie had headed home after tidying up the remnants of the pizza supper. Jes had the kids grouped up by age. She was sitting in the common room going over different letters and bills that had to be taken care of by the end of the month when Diego came running towards her.

"Mom!"

"What is it, Diego?" Jes put the letters down. "And it's Miss. Halstead, remember."

"The name thing is confusing for everyone… but it's important. You gotta come quick, Dad's on TV with Uncle Hank, and Uncle Jay."

"Doing what?!" Jes bolted up from the chair and followed Diego to the entertainment room.

"There's a massive chase going down right now. Something about some Mexican cartel guy!" Diego shouted as he ran.

Jes entered the entertainment room and froze. The room was absolutely silent as everyone watched it. There was a truck zipping through lanes of traffic with 3 crushed cars on its flat deck. Jes watched in horror as she saw Antonio's police issued Cadillac pull over and Antonio pulled a nail belt from his truck. They were going to try and stop that truck. Jes covered her mouth. This wasn't going to end well. Eva saw Jes standing in the corner. She got up and hugged her mother. They watched together as Antonio and Ruzek shot at the truck. The nail belt worked and the trucked careened through a fence. Antonio, Ruzek ran towards it. Jes watched as Jay and Kevin were soon behind them, along with Lindsay and a bunch of guys in suits. Jes assumed that the suits were DEA or ATF or whatever other abbreviations that belonged to Federal organizations that made up Erin's task force. Soon a man was being cuffed and Erin was helping a young woman out of the truck. The feed then cut back to the newsroom.

"What was that all about Miss H.?" A young girl, Lanette, asked.

"Obviously, a bad man got caught."

"But why was Diego all worried about it?" She asked again. "Why do you look like you're gonna be sick?"

"Um… I have a lot of friends who work with the CPD, and it's hard to see them have to be taking so many risks."

"Why did Diego call you 'mom'?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?" Jes countered, smiling.

"Are you his mom?"

"Uh, that's another subject for another day sweetie." She turned to the whole group. "Alright, everyone. Let's tidy up. It's almost home time." She signalled to Diego and Eva to come see her. "Guys… until your dad and I are married, we're really gonna have make sure you call me Miss. H."

"Sorry, Mom… Miss H." Diego said quietly. "I forgot."

"Diego, sweetheart, I'm not mad. It's just for your own protection. At least until your dad and I are married. It's been complicated enough explaining to the kids why I'm Miss H. now when I started off as Miss B. Just, try. That's all I'm asking."

"We'll try… Miss H." Eva struggled with it. "I guess we've spent too much time away from here."

"It's okay." Jes smiled. "It's only for a few more months. Now, let's go make sure everything's tidied up and we'll head home." She also knew she was going to have some words with Antonio. She had told him to be safe, not get caught on the 6 o'clock news chopper in a high-speed chase with a Mexican cartel leader. She sighed. She was going to have to finish this paperwork at home tonight. She quickly gathered the scattered paperwork and went to her office to grab her things while some of the volunteers ensure the kids had everything they needed before heading home.

"Night Miss H.!" A few of the teens waved as they got on the bus that had been assigned by the city specifically for these kids.

"Night guys! We'll see you guys tomorrow after school?" Jes waved back.

"You bet!" They shouted out the window as the bus pulled away.

Jes was happy. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if what she was doing actually mattered in the world. She was actually doing something to better the city, and with that… the future. The kids met her at the Journey and they went home.

* * *

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* * *

Once the kids were in bed, Jes went to work on finishing her necessary paperwork. Antonio wasn't home yet. She wasn't going to start worrying just yet. It was almost 10 when Antonio finally got dropped off.

"Hey, babe." Antonio said as he kissed her on the cheek. "Kids asleep?"

Jes nodded, then yawned. "Yeah. They went to bed about half an hour ago. What took so long?"

"I had to wait for someone to give me a ride. Jay went home with Erin… Kevin had to go take Jacquie to Med… Burgess, Ruzek Olinsky and Roman were all headed to Molly's… so I had to wait for Voight."

"Ah." She yawned again. "Wait… Jacquie to Med? What the fuck?!"

"Calm down!" Antonio put his hands on her shoulders. "He got a text from her saying she hadn't been able to keep anything down the last couple days, and that well… she couldn't take it anymore."

"Why didn't she tell me!? I could've driven her to a doctor's office or something."

"She didn't want to worry you."

"Well, that ain't happening. I'm worried about her. Having her run the Centre for so long without me there… I could be the reason she's sick." Jes began to hyperventilate.

Antonio took her face in his hands. "Baby, breathe normally… please. Hyperventilating isn't gonna help her and it definitely ain't good for you or the baby."

Jes began to focus on her breathing. "Did Kevin say he'd call or something?"

Antonio nodded. "He'll call or text as soon as they know something. He made me promise to keep you calm and that he's going to take care of her."

"Hmph." Jes crossed her arms. "She's like my big sister. I don't want to be off on the sidelines when I could be there helping her."

"I think she'll be livid if she finds out you're worrying more about her than worrying about the baby or P2K." Antonio said softly. "I can guarantee you that if anything important comes up, Kevin will call. He knows how close you two are."

"He better." Jes was pouting.

"Babe, I think a blind man could see how close you two are. Don't pout… it's not very flattering." He snickered.

"Fine. Changing subjects… I thought I asked you to stay safe?"

"I did."

"I saw the chase on TV, alongside with Eva, Diego, P2K's staff and almost every teen and child that was there tonight."

"Shit."

"Mhmm. Shit. Diego called me 'Mom' too."

"Jes, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, Antonio. Just… please… for the kids' sake… and my sanity… try to not make too many news headlines."

"I hate being in the limelight." He groaned. "It's not like I did it on purpose. I was doing my job."

"I know, Antonio, but still."

"I promise to stay away from the video cameras as much as I can." He pulled her into his arms. "How was it being back?"

"It's good. Busy, but in a good way. I got all my paperwork done while waiting for you to come home." She sighed as Antonio rubbed her back. "That feels amazing."

"I'm glad. I figured I owed you something for all the stress I caused today… especially since it was supposed to be my day off shift." He whispered. "Come on. Let's go to bed, I'll give you the most amazing backrub and foot rub possible."

"I'm going to take you up on that." She grinned, hitting the nightlight switch over the stove while Antonio turned off the rest of the lights and set the alarm system.

* * *

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* * *

Jay was more than happy that Erin had been willing to come home with him. They weren't partners anymore. They had feelings for each other. They both knew it. A blind man could probably see it. Voight's rule had only applied when she was working in Intelligence. That wasn't the case anymore. He looked over to her. She was smiling. He wasn't 100% sure on if she really liked this new job, but he could tell she was at least happy that they didn't have to hide anymore. He took her hand and kissed it. "I can't believe that this is finally happening."

"Don't get too far ahead of yourself, Jay."

"Erin, come on. We've been playing this game for almost 2 years now. I think it's fair to call it what it is."

"And what's that?" She cocked her head to one side, batting her eyes at him.

"You trying to tell me that you're only coming home with me for a card game or movie marathon?"

"NO." Erin smacked his arm.

"Then, admit it. You do have feelings for me."

"I do."

"Then let's not wait any longer." Jay stopped the car and killed the engine. He got out and went to her side to open the door.

"Ah, chivalry isn't dead." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her. "Come on, Jay… we don't got all night."

He kicked the door closed and locked the car. "No, we don't." He kissed her deeply and passionately.

They barely made it up to his apartment before she was pushing him up against a wall and ripping at his clothes. She nipped at his lower lip and neck as he flicked her bra open and slid it off. Clothes piled up on the floor as they made it to his bed. He pulled her down onto him. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

"So have I." Erin moaned as she kissed along his neck.

He flipped her over so she was under him. He was going to take his time. Slowly increasing the tempo, the two finally consummated the fiery passion that had nearly consumed them these last few months.

 ** _Meanwhile... At the Dawson residence..._**

It was a little after 3 in the morning when Antonio's cell began to ring. "Dawson."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: And that's where I leave you! Hope you enjoyed it! All the best and until next time! Nicole**_


	30. Marry You

_It was a little after 3 in the morning when Antonio's cell began to ring. "Dawson."_

* * *

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* * *

"Antonio?" Voight's voice came over the phone.

"Voight?"

"Yeah… look I know it's late…"

"It's after 3am, boss." Antonio groaned. He carefully sat up in bed, as he didn't want to disturb Jes' sleep.

"We just got called in. A bad case. Two dead, one missing. It's a family."

Antonio was jolted awake. "I'll be right there."

Voight rattled off the address, and Antonio copied it down onto the note pad he kept by this bed for this exact purpose. "Be there ASAP." Antonio said as he ended the call. "Fuck." He muttered under his breath. He didn't want to wake Jes up, but he knew if he didn't that she'd be extremely worried when she woke up. He gently shook her. "Jes? Babe?" He said into her ear. She didn't budge. He leaned against the bed. "Fuck!" He groaned. He'd have to try and wake her up before he left. He got up and padded to the bathroom to shave and brush his teeth.

He was in the middle of shaving when Jes' cell rang loudly. "Shit!" He exclaimed as the razor nicked his chin. He peeked into the bedroom. He saw Jes answer the call. _'Maybe I should've just called her… she always seems to hear her cell.'_ He thought.

"Hello?" Jes yawned.

"Jes, it's Kevin."

Jes sat up in bed. "Kevin? Is Jacquie okay?"

"She's resting now, but the doc hasn't come back with results yet."

"Then why…" She yawned loudly. "Sorry, then why are you calling me at 3 in the morning?"

"Didn't 'Tonio tell you?"

Jes looked to Antonio's side of the bed. It was only then when she noticed he wasn't there. "Uh, no… what was he supposed to tell me?"

Antonio poked his head out. "I tried to wake you up, baby. You were out cold. Voight called us in."

Now it all made sense. "Ah. I see, so in other words… you need me to stay with her?" Jes asked Kevin.

"If you could… or at least be here first thing in the morning."

Jes looked to Antonio, covering the phone. "Will the kids be alright by themselves?"

"Set the alarm, leave a note in their rooms. They should be fine." Antonio said as he headed into the closest.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Jes returned to the phone conversation. "Let the nurses know so that they actually let me back there."

"Will do." Kevin sighed. "And Jes?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks… I know… I know y'all are tight… I just don't feel right leaving her alone like this."

"I'll have Antonio drive me. He can drive you in, and I'll keep your vehicle or Jacquie's… whoever's to drive her home… I can pick up the kids then stay with her… just… don't worry about it… I'll take good care of her."

"Thanks. I'll see you guys in a few." Kevin hung up.

Jes put the phone down and reached for her glasses. "Well, I guess this means that I've gotta get out of bed, huh?"

Antonio nodded. "Usually helps." He smirked. "Come on. Voight said this case was urgent."

"I'm moving as fast as I can… our baby makes me waddle like a freakin' penguin."

"An adorable penguin." Antonio pointed out.

"Don't start." Jes groaned. "Ugh. Okay, I don't have time to shower… so body mist and a quick brush it is." She pulled the brush through her hair and quickly brushed her teeth. Antonio handed her two hangers from the closet. "What's this for?"

"Unless you plan going to the hospital wearing nothing but your underwear… you need clothes."

Jes took the clothes. "These don't even match!"

"Will Jacquie care?"

"Probably not, but still… this yellow does not go with these pink leggings!" Jes flew into the closet.

"I'm pretty sure my sister wore something similar."

"Yeah, maybe back in the 80s or early 90s when Madonna was still the 'Material Girl'. It's 2015… come on… Yellow shirt is a go but with black or blue leggings not hot fucking pink." She came out of the closet pulling on her black leggings. "Where's my bra?"

Antonio tossed her one. "If that's not the right one, you can find it… I'm gonna go make coffee before I offend the fashion gods again." He left the room.

"Fuck." Jes muttered. "Great. Piss him off so that he's in a bad mood for this case." She finished getting dressed and turned off the lights. She met him in the kitchen. "Antonio."

"Jes, I don't wanna fight." He said as he poured the coffee.

"I… I don't either. I don't know what came over me… I just… I'm sorry." She sighed.

Antonio looked up. "Babe, it's 3 am… neither of us really wanted or expected to get up now… let's chalk it up to hormones and lack of sleep. Do you want me to make some hot chocolate or something to go?"

Jes wasn't sure if Antonio had accepted her apology or if he was going to get into a better mood. "Uh, an herbal tea… please and thank you."

Antonio put the kettle on the stove to boil. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "Babe, something bothering you?"

"I just was a bitch to you and you're making me tea… I… I don't know what's… wrong with me." She buried her head into his chest. Tears slowly began to flow down her cheeks.

Antonio rubbed her back. This part of pregnancy he did remember, both times Laura was pregnant and when Victoria had been pregnant. The emotions caused all sorts problems for them. They had ranged from anger bursts to crying fits to hysterics. "Baby, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. I love you… even if the hormones are a little hard to handle, but it's going to be okay. I guess I was a little snippy when I shouldn't have been. Let's get going. Voight'll be more pissed if I don't get over there."

Jes nodded. She grabbed a Kleenex and wiped away the tears. She blew her nose and then grabbed the tea that Antonio held out. "Yeah. At least I know that I'll find out what's wrong with Jacquie."

"There… a positive thing."

"Okay. Let's go." She grabbed the keys and they headed out after sticking Post Its in the kids' rooms.

* * *

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* * *

Kevin had stayed with Jacquie until Antonio and Jes arrived. They met him in Jacquie's room in the ED. There was still an IV in Jacquie's arm, but she was resting. Kevin slipped out of the room quietly. "Hey guys." He whispered. "She just fell asleep."

"Ah." Antonio said. "Any news yet?"

"They're running a bunch of tests. We only just got put in a room now. They drew blood and stuff. They're backed up. Major MVA was brought in and took priority. She was dehydrated from the vomiting so they put her on a saline drip. Until they know what's wrong, they don't want to give her any meds." Kevin turned to Jes. "Hey, I know you've been through your share of shit lately, but can you call me when you hear something?"

Jes nodded. "Of course. Go… otherwise Hank will be pissed at you guys for something that isn't even your fault."

Antonio kissed her. "I'll text or call when I have an idea of when I'll be home tonight."

"It's okay. The kids will be okay, and I'll call someone to head up P2K… at least until I know that Jacquie will be okay."

"I love you." Antonio kissed her again.

"I love you, too." She hugged him tightly. She turned to Kevin. "I've got her. As soon as we hear something, I'll call you."

"Thanks, Jes." Kevin hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I owe you."

"No, you don't… I've owed her for almost a decade… it's about time I can pay her back." Jes smiled. "Now get going… Hank's going to send a bunch of patrols to find you because you're not there yet."

The two men headed out of the ED while Jes went into Jacquie's room. Jes was really worried about her best friend. Jacquie was pale and Jes thought she looked extremely frail in the big bed. Jes hadn't noticed Jacquie being this pale at P2K the day before. She suspected her best friend was hiding behind makeup since Jes came home. She sat in the bed next to Jacquie's bed and held her best friend's hand. She dozed off as time went by.

* * *

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* * *

 _Three hours later…_

"Jes?" Jacquie's tired voice caused Jes to stir.

"Jacquie, hey." Jes' eyes flew open.

"Where's… where's Kevin?"

"He, uh… Hank called in Intelligence for a really bad case."

"Oh." Jacquie's face drooped. "What time is it?"

Jes looked at her phone. "Almost 7."

"I must have really been exhausted."

"Jacquie, be honest with me… how long has this been going on?"

Jacquie turned away from Jes.

"Jacquie… come on… you're my best friend… this isn't something that just magically appeared over night."

"Jes… I didn't want you to worry."

"How long?"

Jacquie sighed. "About 2 and a half weeks now."

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"Because, Jes… you've been stressed… dealing with the kids… a baby on the way… you're planning your wedding… you don't need my problems too."

"Jacquie, come on. You saved my life more times than I can count… I'm here for you… always will be." Jes squeezed Jacquie's hand. "I owe you more than I could ever repay you."

"I didn't think so… especially after everything that happened at Christmas."

"What your brother did has NOTHING to do with you. It never will… I consider you a sister… you're family… and family cares for each other no matter what."

"I'm sensing a Disney quote." Jacquie smirked.

Right on cue, Jes quoted one of her favourite Disney quotes. "Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten."

"I knew it." Jacquie laughed softly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't want to add to your stress level. I don't want anything to happen to the baby."

"The baby is doing great. I finally got over my morning sickness so now it's just staying healthy until July."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Jacquie groaned. "Where's that puke bowl thing?"

Jes looked around. "I can't find one. I'm gonna go ask at the desk… just hang on, okay?" Jes went to the desk and saw April. "Hey, April!"

April spun around. "Jes? Everything okay?"

"I'm fine… uh my friend, Jacquie…" Jes pointed to her room. "She needs one of those things that people puke in… she's really nauseated."

April nodded. "Coming right up… I'll let her doctor know that she's awake too."

Jes went back into Jacquie's room. "Someone's coming… just slow, deep breaths."

Jacquie slowed her breathing.

"Breathe in through your nose and slowly out through your mouth." Jes gently rubbed Jacquie's back.

"How did you learn this?" Jacquie heaved.

"Antonio did this for me when the morning sickness got really bad."

"He's a genius."

"Why thank you." Antonio's voice came from the doorway.

"Jesus!" Jes jumped. "When did you guys get here? Wait… is the case solved? Four hours must be some kind of record, even for Intelligence."

Kevin and Antonio stepped into the room. "Naw, Voight told us to come check on you gals and to clear our heads. This particular case is a little more than fucked up." Kevin sighed, taking the chair on the other side of Jacquie's bed.

Antonio stood behind Jes. "Any news?"

Jacquie shook her head slowly, careful not to make the nausea worse. "Not yet."

Jes sighed. "April said she was getting your doctor at the same time as getting the bowl thing."

There was a knock on the door. "Jacquie?"

"Yep." Jacquie said weakly.

"Hi… oh… you have quite the gathering." The doctor said. "I'm Doc Holiday… and yes, I've heard all jokes… and no, I don't know Wyatt Earp."

Antonio laughed. "Alright, Doc. Nice to meet you."

"So, who's my patient's family?" Doc Holiday asked.

"Kevin Atwater." Kevin extended his hand. "I'm Jacquie's fiancé."

"Nice to meet you." The doctor shook Kevin's hand. "And you are?" He turned to Jes and Antonio.

"I'm Jeslyn Halstead and this is my fiancé, Detective Antonio Dawson. Jacquie is like a sister to me, and she's my partner in Power 2 Kids Youth Centre." Jes replied diplomatically.

"Detective? Is there a crime I should've been made aware of?"

Antonio shook his head. "No, Doc. Kevin and I are part of CPD's Intelligence unit. Jacquie is Jes' sister, basically… so we're here."

Doc Holiday smiled. "Got it. So, Jacquie… how are you doing?"

"Not good, Doc. I stopped vomiting but I'm really nauseated right now."

April appeared right on cue. "Here, Jacquie. In case… you know."

"Thanks, April." Jacquie said softly.

"Um, if I could talk to Jacquie and Kevin alone." Doc Holiday turned to Jes and Antonio.

Jacquie clung to Jes' hand. "I'd actually prefer if she were here."

Doc Holiday nodded. "Okay. So, we have your test results." He opened her chart. "You are suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum."

"What is that?" Kevin scratched his head. "It don't sound too good."

"Isn't that what Princess Kate had when she was pregnant with Prince George?" Jacquie and Jes asked in unison.

Kevin and Antonio spun to face their fiancées while the women stared at Doc Holiday. He nodded. "It is."

"I'm… I can't be pregnant." Jacquie stuttered.

"Doc?" Kevin turned to face the doctor, shocked. "You telling us that Jacquie's pregnant."

Doc holiday nodded. "She is."

"I can't be. We use protection… I'm on birth control." Jacquie began to hyperventilate which in turn caused her to heave. "Oh god." She leaned over the pan that April had brought her and vomited. "This… oh…"

Jes rubbed her back. "You sure that she's pregnant?"

Doc Holiday nodded. "Here." He handed Jes Jacquie's chart. "It's all there. According to the hormone levels, she's about two and a half months along."

Kevin's jaw was hanging open. He was in shock as much as Jacquie was. She was right. She always took her birth control and he always used condoms. "Shit!" He exclaimed.

Jes glared at him. "Kevin!"

Doc Holiday broke the awkward silence. "The condition is generally temporary… it usually lasts until about month 4 or 5. There is medication to take to ease the nausea and vomiting that are also safe for the baby. I'll go order the medication right now and once it's in the IV you should start feeling relief almost instantly. I'll admit you for a couple days and then you can go home and rest." He turned to leave.

"Hey, Doc?" Kevin asked. "How likely is it that the birth control pill Jacquie takes failed? I know she takes it religiously."

"Did you guys ever consume large amounts of alcohol or did Jacquie require antibiotics around the time of conception?"

"I had a lung infection right after New Years… and we had a lot of alcohol for New Years…" Jacquie whispered.

"Either of those could've weakened the strength of her birth control." Doc Holiday said as he wrote in the chart.

"Still doesn't explain the condom thing though." Jacquie muttered.

Kevin sighed. "It does… there was that one night… it broke… you said not to worry because the pill was reliable and you took it religiously."

"Oh boy." Jes mumbled under her breath. She did the math. It would make sense.

"I think you have come to the conclusion on when you conceived. I'll be back to check on you after you get your medication." Doc Holiday slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Jacquie… it's going to be okay." Jes said, rubbing her best friend's back. "We also said we wanted to be pregnant together."

Jacquie smiled a little. "Yeah, but I had also thought I'd be married and it would be planned."

"Are you upset that you're pregnant?" Jes asked. She completely ignored the men in the room.

"No… I wanted a baby… I just hoped…" Jacquie began to heave again.

Kevin took over Jes' roll of rubbing Jacquie's back. "Can we have a couple minutes, guys?"

Antonio nodded. "Sure, uh… we'll go get coffee or something." He took Jes' hand and led her out of the waiting room.

Kevin took Jacquie's hand. "Babe, are you upset about being pregnant? Be honest with me."

Jacquie could feel the tears building up. "I don't know. We had a plan… we haven't even talked about a baby yet."

Kevin wiped away her tears. "Baby, Jacquie… look at me, please?"

Jacquie turned to face him. She saw tears in his eyes. "Kevin, are you upset or angry… or?"

"I'm happy, Jacquie. I know we haven't talked about kids yet and we're both busy with our careers and raising Vinessa, but it's part of being married. So what if the baby's there first. Jes and Antonio seem to be making it work."

"You're really happy?" Jacquie wiped away a tear.

"A little shocked, yeah, but I'm happy. I always wanted kids of my own."

"Even if we're not married yet?"

"If you're worried about it, we'll get married right away… hell, I'll get a chaplain or something in here right now and we'll be married."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Hell yes!" Kevin exclaimed. "I don't care about big, foufou stuff… I only want to be married to you."

Jacquie reached for him and hugged him tightly. "Then, we'll figure something out soon… I am happy, just really surprised… I didn't even consider pregnancy as a reason for me being sick."

Kevin kissed her cheek. "Well, we'll make this all work."

* * *

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* * *

"You think Kevin's going to be okay with Jacquie being pregnant?" Jes asked. "You know him better than I do."

"I think he'll be okay with it. He's probably in as much shock as she is though." Antonio said pulling the coffee from the machine. "What about Jacquie?"

"She's always wanted kids, but she's more of traditionalist than I am. She always believed in the marriage then kids thing."

"Did she also believe in no sex before marriage, because… honestly… that didn't work for them."

Jes pulled a bottle of gingerale from the vending machine. "No, she didn't believe in waiting until marriage. Trust me… I've walked in on her."

"So did your brother." Antonio laughed.

"Don't remind me. Jay still won't let me forget." Jes shook her head. "He told me we should've invested in 'Do Not Disturb' signs."

"Well, that's what he gets for not calling before showing up." Antonio took a sip of his coffee. "Blech. Those coffee machines can't make coffee any better than cops at the District."

"This is why I don't drink coffee." Jes rubbed her belly. "I'll need to eat soon, baby is hungry."

"Let's head down to the cafeteria for some breakfast then." Antonio offered his arm.

* * *

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* * *

 _Two days later…_

"Thanks again, Jes." Kevin hugged her. "I know this is a lot of work for you."

"Vinessa is great and Jacquie will actually be able to rest here." Jes reassured him. "Don't worry. Go and find the monster who murdered that poor woman and her daughter."

Antonio, Kevin and Jay had filled her in about their most recent case. A mother and daughter murdered, the son missing and the father was the prime suspect. The case got more complicated when Roman and Burgess had found the little boy bleeding out in an abandoned house. The father was still the suspect. Antonio had to go with Kevin to interview some of the employees of a restaurant where the family had volunteered prior to the murders.

"We'll hopefully have an answer tonight." Antonio kissed her. "Don't let the kids get too rowdy."

"I've been doing fine on my own so far." Jes smiled. "Don't worry about me. If we need you, we'll call. Now, get going." She shooed them both out of the door.

Once the guys were on their way to the district, Jes turned her attention to the kids. Luckily enough for her, she had found a great help in some semi-retired teachers from local schools to help her manage P2K. She definitely needed the help since all the schools were out now for two weeks on spring and Easter Breaks. Those teachers were more than glad to help run the centre while Jes helped Jacquie recover from all this. "Alright, so Vinessa, you have school work to do and Eva can help you with it."

"Actually, Miss. H., Kevin helped me finish all of it. He wanted me to have it done so we can have fun on his days off during break."

"That's even better, Vinessa… but around here, you don't have to call me Miss. H. That's only when we're at P2K."

"Oh, okay." Vinessa beamed. "I'm good with that, Jes."

"Much better. Well, then you guys have free range until lunchtime. Just don't get too rowdy."

"You got it, Mom." Diego grinned. He turned to Vinessa. "Race you to the basement for a Dance Off." He didn't wait; he just booked it for the stairs into the basement.

"Hey!" Vinessa exclaimed. "That's not fair! Diego!" She took off after him.

Jes laughed to herself. "Some things never change." She headed into the kitchen. "Eva, can you go keep an eye on your brother and Vinessa? Make sure they don't trash the basement."

"Sure thing, Mom." Eva smiled, putting the last plate from the dishwasher into the cupboard. "Is Jacquie going to be okay?"

"Yeah, she is."

"Something's on your mind then." Eva pointed out.

Jes grinned. "You have your dad's sense of detection."

"I try." Eva laughed.

"Ever wonder if your brother has a crush on Vinessa?" Jes whispered.

"So, I'm not the only one wondering that?" Eva said.

Jes shook her head. "No, I've noticed it the last few times the two of them have been together."

"I've noticed it too." Jacquie said from the doorway. "Just don't tell Kevin that."

Jes turned to her best friend. "You should be resting, not considering your future sister-in-law's future love life."

Jacquie smiled. "I can't just lounge around on your couch all day either, Jes."

"However, that's exactly what the doctor ordered." Jes took her arm. "Come on, you and me have wedding and baby plans to deal with… and Eva can go keep an eye on those two."

Eva headed down to the basement while Jes escorted Jacquie back to the living room.

"Jes, really… I can't keep doing this." Jacquie collapsed against the pillows.

"You can, and you will. Not only they doctor's orders, but they are your fiancé's, your best friend's and your family's. Your parents somehow found out you weren't feeling so hot."

"Oh for fuck's sakes." Jacquie groaned. "They really don't need to some up here."

"Well, that's too bad, because they'll be here in two days time."

Jacquie grabbed one of the pillows and put over her face and screamed into it. She pulled it away and looked to Jes. "Did you call them?"

"No, because you asked me to." Jes sighed. "Ever think that your parents were called by the hospital… or…"

"Kevin called them." Vinessa reappeared around the corner. "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Why did…?" Jacquie was flabbergasted. She had no idea as to why Kevin would call her parents down here.

"I don't know." Vinessa shrugged. "Sorry, sis."

"It's okay. Go and have fun with Eva and Diego. I have some stuff to plan with Jes anyhow." Jacquie smiled. "I'll ask Kevin when he gets home."

Vinessa nodded and headed back to the basement. Jes pulled a binder off the shelf.

"What on Earth is that?" Jacquie enquired.

"This is my wedding planner." Jes smiled. "It's not that complex."

"It's more organized than some of the binders at P2K." Jacquie commented as she took the binder from Jes. "Look at this." Jacquie flipped through some of the pages. "Floral arrangements for the Church, more floral arrangements for the hall, bouquets… boutonnières."

"That's just one section." Jes grinned proudly.

"Jes, I think this a little bit, I don't know… bordering on obsessive."

"I only plan on getting married once, Jacquie.."

"I know, Jes." Jacquie sighed. "At least it looks like you got most of this planned. I'm pretty sure this is more planned than any military engagement… ever! Everything is planned actually… except… food? Really, Jes… that's where you're stuck?" Jacquie shook her head. "Of all the place to get stuck in your wedding planning, it's the menu?"

"I'm more stuck on if I wanted a plated meal or a buffet."

"Are we going family feel or classy?" Jacquie flipped through the selections.

"I prefer family. All the reception arrangements… I'm making them… same with all the other table arrangements and stuff. I don't want super fancy. I want it to feel like a big family gathering over a black-tie affair."

"Then go with the buffet." Jacquie handed her the menu choices.

Jes beamed. "This is why I needed you!" She took the menus. "This is our best choice… now help me pick our specifics."

* * *

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* * *

They spent the next two hours going over specifics for the menu as well as the cake for cutting and the mini cupcakes that they'd be serving to their guests. Around noon, Jes got Jacquie to lie down for a nap while she got the kids to help her make lunch.

"What's on the menu, Mom?" Diego asked after washing his hands.

"I was thinking subs with soup… I made butternut squash bisque in the crockpot… just need to purée it and add the heavy cream."

"Sounds great!" Vinessa exclaimed. "What can I do?"

"How about you pull the different meats from the fridge. Eva could you wash and cut the veggies. Diego, can you heat up the oven and then you can thinly slice the cheese and cut the sub buns?"

Soon, everything was ready and Jes went to get Jacquie for lunch.

"I'm not really sure I can have solids just yet." Jacquie said.

"I made soup. Just do what you can, sweetie. It's not good for you or the baby to not have food." Jes whispered. She knew that Kevin and Jacquie hadn't told Vinessa about the baby yet. They wanted to make sure they were out of that three-month danger zone first. The only ones that knew were the happy couple and Jes and Antonio. They were keeping it that way. Jacquie and Jes slowly made their way to the kitchen where they sat and enjoyed a nice lunch while listening to the kids regale them in their stories of dance off combat.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was wiped. This case had taken a lot out of him. He had seen Voight get pushed to his limits. Cases involving kids were never easy and this one was particularly hard on them. At least, the father and son would be reunited and could start to piece their lives back together. He was filling out paperwork when his phone began to ring. He thought it was Jes calling because he wasn't home yet. He didn't even get a chance to say anything.

"Hey, it's Gaby. I need your help. We all do."

"Sure, Sis. Whatever you need."

Gaby went on to explain how they'd finally gotten a lead on the fire that had killed Shay. Then she told him that OFI wasn't going to pursue the best suspect.

"So what exactly do you want me to do?"

"I need you to… I don't know… intimidate him?"

"Sure… I'll meet you tomorrow morning. Just text me the address."

"You got it. Thank you, Antonio… you have no idea how much this means to me. To all of us."

"No, I get it Gaby. Shay was like a sister to you. If Intelligence can help you guys get this son of a bitch, I'll do whatever I can."

"Thanks, big brother. I owe you." She hung up.

He ran his hands through his hair. This was going to be a long couple of days. Kevin had explained to him that he was planning a secret wedding ceremony for Jacquie and him. That's why he'd called Jacquie's parents in. Antonio was going to have to fill Jes in as soon as he got home. He got up and stretched. His back cracked as he twisted from side to side. "I really need to get a massage or something." He said to himself. He looked at his watch. "Shit, Jes is going to kill me."

"Exactly why is my sister going to be killing you, Antonio?" Jay asked as he reappeared in the bullpen.

"I'm late… I probably missed supper." Antonio sighed as he pulled on his leather jacket.

"Yeah, she's probably pissed." Jay laughed. "Meal time as a family is big time important to her."

"Why are you back?" Antonio said as he turned his desk lamp off.

"I… uh… needed to pick up my wallet." Jay blushed.

"Exactly why couldn't you wait til tomorrow to get it?"

"I, uh… kinda need to buy some things."

Antonio scratched his head. "Are these things essential to life?"

"They're essential to keeping me alive."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Antonio was genuinely confused.

"I need to buy condoms!" Jay exclaimed, carefully checking out the bullpen to ensure there was no one else there.

"How does that keep you al… seriously! Jay… Voight will have your ass."

"No more than I should've had yours when you got my baby sister pregnant."

"We're getting married… and that was in the plans all along, Jay." Antonio said harshly.

"Well…"

Antonio smirked. "There is no way in hell that Voight will be okay with this… even less of a chance that he'll let you marry her… the Maple Leafs stand more of a chance of winning the Stanley Cup this season than you have of being in a relationship with Erin… and have it blessed by Voight."

Jay hung his head. "I'm not giving up on her."

"Not tell you to, bro… just making sure you understand that Erin will choose her career with Intelligence over a steady relationship with you… always."

"I know, 'Tonio… I know." Jay put his wallet back in his pocket. "See you tomorrow… tell Jes I'll call her tomorrow night."

"You got it." Antonio waved to Jay as he took off. "Poor bastard." He sighed. He grabbed his keys and headed to the garage.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio put the truck in 'park' and headed in the house. The alarm wasn't set yet. He knew that someone was still awake. He put his coat in the hallway closet and went into the kitchen. Jes wasn't there. He checked the family room and living room. She wasn't anywhere. He was beginning to worry. He didn't want to shout out for her, in case he'd wake the kids. He didn't think she'd be in the basement because she was still scared of it. He was never going to push her but it was the last place to look. He went into the basement. Jes was sitting in the glider rocker he'd had built for her for when the baby came. It was specifically built for breast-feeding. She wasn't asleep, but she was resting. Then he saw why she was there. Diego, Eva and Vinessa were camped out in the basement. Jes had built a small 'fire' in the centre of the room. They were all sound asleep in sleeping bags. Antonio smiled and stretched. When he looked up he saw a bunch of glow in the dark stars had been tacked to the ceiling forming different constellations.

"Diego really wanted to camp." Jes yawned. "Sorry. I just, I loved watching them."

"It's okay. I was just worried." Antonio said. He knelt next to the chair. "We'll have to take them camping for real in the future."

"When I'm not as big as a blimp." Jes snickered. "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking Kevin to put up the constellations before he left."

"I like it." He kissed her cheek. "Are they going to be okay down here?"

Jes nodded. "Yep. I wasn't going to be here alone, but I figured I'd stay and supervise the ghost stories that were being told around the camp fire while they devoured the s'mores I made on the grill."

"Did you save me any?" Antonio asked.

"I can whip you up one really fast… if… you tell me what the hell took you so long to come home. Kevin picked Jacquie up..." Jes looked at the time on Antonio's watch. "6 hours ago."

Antonio looked at his watch. It was after midnight. "Shit. I didn't realize it was that late."

"So, you talk… I make s'mores."

"Works for me." He helped her out of the rocker and then he kissed her. "Did I tell you how much I love you?"

Jes shook her head. "Not today."

"I love you more than I did this morning. You are amazing."

Their moment was interrupted when they heard giggles coming from the 'campsite'. "Eww… they're kissing!" They could hear Diego.

Vinessa commented. "Kevin and Jacquie are worse."

"Guys, shh… they'll hear us." Eva whispered a little louder than she'd intended.

"Hey, campers…" Antonio laughed. "We can hear you. Go back to sleep, or else it's going to be actual beds for you. Jes and I are going upstairs. No monkey business."

"Night, Dad… Mom!" Diego yelped and pulled his sleeping bag over his head.

"Good night Jes… Antonio." Vinessa said sleepily.

Eva sat up in her sleeping bag. "Good night. I love you."

"We love you too, Eva." Jes smiled. "Now, get some rest."

"Thanks for this, Mom. It's really been fun."

"You're very welcome." Jes whispered. She motioned for Eva to lie back down.

Eva did as she was asked. Jes and Antonio headed up stairs, leaving only the fake campfire lit in the centre of the room, flickering dimly.

* * *

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* * *

Once they were upstairs, Jes set to packaging up her s'mores to put on the grill. Antonio grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat next to the island. He explained to her the event of the day. "I was finishing up some paperwork when Gaby called. She said she had news on the fire that killed her best friend almost a year ago."

"Jay told me about that. Caused a lot of havoc for that house."

Antonio nodded. "They have a suspect but OFI… Office of Fire Investigations…" He had to clarify seeing the confusion on Jes' face. "They won't pursue the guy."

"So what does she want you to do?" Jes asked as she slid outside to put the s'mores packets on the grill.

Antonio waited for her to come back inside. "She wants me to meet her tomorrow, see if maybe I can get the guy to confess or something. Cops tend to be scarier than Arson Investigators."

"Well, just don't piss off the fire bug too badly… I like our house… don't need some psycho trying to burn it to the ground…"

"Don't worry. I know how to handle myself with nutjobs like this."

Jes set the timer on the stove. "I'm glad you do." She kissed his cheek. "I hope you catch him. Kevin said that you had something to tell me… something on the DL?"

"Oh, yeah… uh tomorrow… they're getting married." Antonio said calmly.

Jes froze. "I beg your pardon. What the fuck did you just say!" Her jaw was halfway on the counter.

Antonio gently closed her mouth. "Kevin has planned a surprise wedding for her. She was worried about not being married when the baby came. He told her he would've married her right there. Sadly, he couldn't get a marriage license that day, so he had to wait."

"So that's why her parents are flying in tomorrow." Jes was putting all the pieces in place.

"Yep."

"So what does he need me for?"

"You need to go with her to pick out a dress, and you'll have to have her ready for 6:30 pm tomorrow."

"No priest is going to doing that on such short notice." Jes pointed out.

"He said they can have the marriage blessed later, but he wants the wedding tomorrow. He just wants her to be happy. He told me that ever since she found out about the baby, that she's freaking out over wedding planning."

"Ah. Well, I can't guarantee the whole plan will stay a surprise, but I will make sure she's ready."

"That's all I ask."

"Wait, where are we doing this?"

"Oh, right there was one other thing."

"You want to use P2K?"

"Is it possible?" Antonio batted his eyes.

"For her, yes."

"Good. Now, those s'mores… are they ready or did they become charcoal briquettes?"

Jes ran out to the grill cursing up a storm in French. "Oh, thank God. They're perfect."

Antonio laughed as he closed the patio doors behind her. "They smell amazing."

* * *

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* * *

The next morning, Jes prepared to head to Kevin and Jacquie's to pick Jacquie up. Vinessa, Diego and Eva were going to be staying with Jacquie's parents at the Dawson house. Jes knew that there was no way she could take Jacquie shopping in an incognito way. It wasn't possible in the least bit. She got dressed and called her stylist to arrange an appointment for Jacquie, Vinessa, Eva and herself for later that afternoon. They'd get their makeup done professionally as well as their hair. Well, the others would get their hair done. Jes' hair was still short and curly as can be. She did her own hair and put in a large flower headband that would match the colour of dress she'd be picking up later. She quickly got dressed and headed to the kitchen. Antonio had beaten her there.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Nice flower." He grinned. "Sorry, I had to make you breakfast this morning. You've been spoiling me. I figured it was my turn… especially with what Kevin and I are asking you to do."

"Don't stress. You're lucky I have people that owe me favours. Their marriage license is ready; Kevin just needs to pick it up. The photographer is booked and will be there half an hour before the ceremony to take some pictures of you guys getting ready. He's meeting us after our beauty routine to do glamour shots… aka getting ready shots of us… the foods being prepped at P2K by a couple of the chefs that I interacted with at events for P2K. Turns out, a lot of people in Chicago think they're in debt to us."

"Next thing you're gonna tell me is that you're running for Mayor or something." Antonio said, deadpan.

"Oh hell no!" Jes exclaimed. "I may make politicians owe me favours but there is no way in hell that I'm going to become one. I don't own enough toilet paper for the ass kissing I'd have to do."

Antonio choked on the coffee he was drinking. "Jes!"

"Well, it's true." Jes said as she poured herself some apple juice. "Everything is taken care of… except one detail."

"Which is?"

"How am I going to get her to buy a dress that's bridal without her clueing in?"

Antonio froze. "Um… Kevin didn't say and to be honest, I have no idea."

"I'm going to have to tell her."

"Kevin wanted it to be a surprise."

"I'm pretty sure that this whole thing will be a surprise. When are her parents arriving?"

The doorbell rang right on cue.

"That's probably them now." Antonio said. "I'll put breakfast on the table and call the kids. You go let them in."

Jes nodded and headed to the front door. "Hi guys." She grinned. She got warm hugs from the people who'd been like parents to her for years. "How was the flight?"

"Must've been fine." Damien chuckled. "I slept as soon as we took off."

Meg nodded. "Perk of flying on the red eye. We sleep."

Jes smiled. "Did Kevin fill you in?"

Meg nodded. "I don't get the rush for a wedding, but it's their life together. We can't dictate what they can or can't do."

Jes knew then and there that Kevin hadn't told them about the pregnancy, but that was okay. Like Meg said, it wasn't up to them to tell them how to run their lives. "Come on in. Antonio made breakfast. The kids are just getting up."

They made their way to the kitchen where Antonio was serving up omelettes with toast and plantain cups. He put out a tray with bacon, turkey bacon and sausages.

"Wow, Antonio!" Meg gasped. "This is quite the spread."

"Well, I wasn't sure what everyone would like, so I made a variety. Um, I'm picking Kevin up in half an hour for work. We'll meet you all at P2K shortly before 6?" He asked.

They all nodded. "Yep."

"Great." He kissed Jes. "Text me if you need help. I love you."

"Love you too, Antonio." Jes hugged him. "Be safe out there." She was weary of Intelligence looking into this pyro that most likely had murdered Shay and many others over the years.

"Always." He knelt down and kissed her belly. "Be good for mommy." He then kissed the kids and hugged Jacquie's parents before heading to his truck.

Vinessa turned to Jes. "Jes, thanks for the camp out last night. It was a lot of fun."

"Any time 'Nessa. We love having you over… now do you know Kevin's plan?"

Vinessa nodded. "Sorta. He's got a surprise plan for the wedding."

"Yep. So, you're gonna stay here with Jacquie's parents until about 4. Then I'll come pick you and Eva up for a make over while Damien and Meg take Diego to meet the guys at P2K."

"Cool." Diego said. "Wait, Mom… does Auntie Jacquie know anything?"

Jes snorted. "Nope. That's my job to keep her in the dark for as long as possible… but knowing her, it won't be long before she puts two and two together. Now, let's finish breakfast and I'm gonna head out. You guys behave and make sure you shower, brush your teeth and all that before I come back at 4."

"I'll make sure they do, Mom." Eva said. "What are we supposed to wear?"

"I ordered some dresses for you girls already. I'm picking them up when Jacquie and I go to buy her a dress. You can change after we get your hair and make-up done."

"Sweet!" The girls giggled.

Diego shook his head. "Girls."

Damien laughed. "Just you wait, Diego. One day, you're gonna find that special gal and you're going be doing this same thing."

"Maybe I should become a priest." Diego contemplated.

"Yeah, right." Eva scoffed. "Just be 10 for now… okay… we'll worry about girls later."

Jes smiled. "Okay, I'm heading out. Don't burn the house down at lunch time, okay?"

"We'll make sure they don't." Meg hugged Jes.

Jes kissed the kids cheeks and headed out to pick Jacquie up. She knew this would be an adventure and a half.

* * *

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* * *

Jes had finally come to the conclusion that she didn't have to tell Jacquie it was a wedding, but just tell her Kevin insisted that the dress be more white or ivory. From what Jes had been told, Kevin had told Jacquie it was a special supper for their family and friends to celebrate their engagement. She bought it. She knew that Kevin wanted to celebrate their engagement. Thankfully, Jes was good at keeping secrets, so there was no way that Jacquie was going to catch on. She just hoped that the girls would keep it a secret too. She pulled up to their house. Before going to ring the bell, she shot Antonio a text.

 _-Hey babe. Picking the VIP up right now. Who else is standing with us?_

She waited for the response. She could see Antonio was texting back. For the first time in her life, she was 100% thankful for iMessages.

 _-You're still the MOH and he's asked me to be the BM. No one else._

Jes was thankful they had this code. She looked up when she heard Jacquie close the front door to her house. She quickly shot back another text.

 _-VIP coming. Love you. Don't txt unless emergency._

 _-Got it. Love you baby. ; - )_

Jes grinned and stuffed the phone into her purse. Jacquie waved and headed towards the Journey.

"Good morning, glowing momma to be." Jacquie greeted Jes.

"Same to you." Jes hugged her best friend.

"I'm still getting used to this pregnancy thing." Jacquie did up her seatbelt.

"How's the nausea?" Jes backed out of the driveway.

"Manageable with the medication. I can't wait to hit the 20 week mark." Jacquie leaned back in the seat. "That's when my OB told this usually goes away."

"If it doesn't?"

Jacquie groaned. "I don't want to go there but if it doesn't… I'm going to be like this for the whole pregnancy."

"You'll be over it by 20 weeks. I know you." Jes grinned. "So, I did the math… you're going to be very pregnant at my wedding."

"I know… if you don't want me in the bridal party anymore… I totally understand." Jacquie said.

Jes' jaw dropped. "What the fuck are you jabbering about, woman?!"

"I'll be huge at your wedding… it's in 6 months… I'll be almost 9 months pregnant… I'll look like I swallowed a beach ball."

"Jacquie, you're rambling." Jes stopped her. "I love you, but what you just said is the dumbest thing you've ever said. There is no way I want you out of my bridal party! You're still my maid of honour. End of story."

"But the dress…"

"We'll buy another one here… I know a really good maternity shop that specializes in fancy dresses. We'll order one there. We can do that today… I need to pick up my dress for tonight." Jes grinned.

"You bought a dress for my engagement party?" Jacquie asked. "Why?"

"Because, none of my dresses fit anymore!" Jes laughed. "I'm bigger than my dresses stretch… so I bought a new one."

"Fair enough." Jacquie sighed. "Hey, did you ever find out as to why Kevin called my parents?"

Jes shook her head. "No fricken clue. Then again, I haven't really talked to him except for when he asked me to take you for a girls' day to pamper you for the engagement party tonight."

"I seriously don't know why he thinks I need to be pampered."

Jes stared at her. "Seriously… you don't know?"

Jacquie shook her head. "No. Do you?"

"Damn, Jacquie. You are blind. That man worships you like a goddess. He wants to spoil you… it's only going to happen more often as you get further into the pregnancy."

Jacquie pondered on that. "I guess I can see that. Hmm… well, as long as he doesn't go overboard with it… that would smother me."

"I'll be sure to let him know that." Jes laughed. "Okay, so we're here. We can pick up your engagement dress here, too."

"I thought you said this was a maternity store… I'm not showing yet." Jacquie pointed to her flat, toned stomach.

"It is… but they serve all stages of the pregnancy… from newly found out to about to pop." Jes smiled. "Come on. It'll be fun. Plus, one stop shop means we get more time with Vinessa and Eva at the salon for makeovers."

"He seriously wants to go all out for this engagement supper, doesn't he?"

"Do you not remember my birthday party?" Jes reminded her.

"Oh, I do… but this is just some of our friends from here… my parents don't get in until tomorrow… so if he wants to make such a big deal of it, he should've waited for them to arrive."

"Jacquie, I don't know what to tell you." Jes shrugged. "It's Kevin… he's a guy… I can barely understand my brothers or my fiancé… I don't have the energy or ability to understand your fiancé too."

Jacquie giggled. "Okay, Mom. So… let's find a white dress for tonight… and a purple dress for your wedding."

* * *

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* * *

They headed into the store. Jes was thankful that she'd been able to inform the staff of the plan and that they would help her in making sure Jacquie had a bridal dress but without having Jacquie catch onto Kevin's plan. Jes had called the store earlier that morning to ensure that the dress she'd ordered last week, specifically for an engagement party, was ready. It had needed minor alterations, so she had made sure it was ready for today. It was then that she'd informed them of Kevin's big plan. "Oh! Miss Halstead! Welcome back!" The attendant, Clara, greeted them. "They're just doing the final press on your dress right now."

"That's great, Clara… Um, well… my friend needs two dresses. One for tonight and one for my wedding in September."

"Oh! Of course." Clara played right along with what they had discussed on the phone. "Let's start with the one for tonight… then we can go into the more complicated one."

Jacquie blushed. "Um, it's for my engagement party… my fiancé really wants to see me in a white or ivory dress."

"We have quite a few in stock. What kind of look are you going for?" Clara asked.

Jacquie didn't need long to think about it. "Vintage… with lace… I'd really something that has straps with a key-hole back… and short… please."

"I have three that fit the idea of what you're looking for. Let me grab them." Clara led them to a fitting room with a large array of mirrors. "I'll be right back."

Jacquie sat on one of the oversized chairs. "What colour is your dress?"

"It's black with a red criss-crossed bust. It's very retro." Jes smirked. "Plus, it's super stretchy… I can wear it to your wedding in a few months."

"You went and bought your maid of honour dress already?" Jacquie crossed her arms.

"I killed two birds with one stone. We've already talked about what you wanted… you've always been into the retro style."

"Well, if it's going to fit you for the wedding in June, then great." Jacquie smiled. "It'll be one thing less I have to worry about."

"You really need to not stress about the wedding details."

"But, I'm only doing this once… and I'm not like you."

Jes was confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've been planning your wedding and it's already perfect. You're so organized and perceptive. The most planning I've gotten done is what colours I want and that I want a retro feel."

"Sweety." Jes hugged her. "Stop being so hard on yourself. You have an amazing fiancé who probably can throw all the tiny details in place faster than you and I combined. Don't forget, he plans parties as a side job and he's damn good at it."

"True." Jacquie wiped a tear from her cheek. "Why am I so emotional about all this?"

"It's the baby." Jes patted her hand. "I was that way too… it'll get better."

"Here we go, ladies." Clara returned with an armful of dresses. "I found quite a few with your specifics… I just brought a variety of sizes." She led Jacquie into the dressing room to try on dresses.

Jes took this time to text Antonio. She hoped his day was going better than he had suspected it would.

 _-Hey. She's trying on dresses. How are things going?_

She waited for him to type his response. She had to be discreet so that Jacquie wouldn't become suspicious.

 _-Hey, babe. How's it going?_

 _-Ur avoiding the question._

 _-It's a rough go. Gaby's pissed at me. Turns out the suspect is using a stolen ID._

 _-Be careful. Please._

 _\- I am, Jes. I promise. G2G._

 _-Te amo, Antonio._

She put her phone back in her purse. "Jacquie, you still alive in there?"

Jacquie poked her head out of the change room. "You ready?"

Jes nodded. "Let's see it."

Jacquie stepped out. The dress was everything that Jacquie was looking for. It had ¾ length sleeves made of the same lace that covered the dress. It was gorgeous on her. "What do you think?"

"It's everything you said you wanted. It's perfect."

"You don't think it's too bridal?"

"Jacquie… come on." Jes batted her eyes. "Is this the first dress?"

"I've tried them all on, but this is the one that I keep coming back to."

Clara stood next to Jacquie and nodded. "It's true. She keeps going back to this one."

"Then get it. Kevin gave me a lot of money to spoil you for tonight."

"Are you sure?" Jacquie turned back to the mirror.

"Definitely." Clara and Jes said in unison.

"Then it's settled." Jacquie spun back to face them. "I'll take it." She squealed. "I only hope finding a wedding dress will be this easy."

"When you planning on doing that anyhow?" Jes asked.

"Closer to June. Maybe early May." Jacquie sighed. "If this were to fit, hell… I'd wear it again."

Clara jumped in. "It will stretch. About how far long will you be in June?"

Jacquie did the math in her head. "I'll be about 5 and half or 6 months along by then."

"This dress stretches to about 7 months in size, based on the average pregnancy." Clara said.

"I may just do that… providing this pregnancy is normal… the morning sickness is definitely not normal."

"Jacquie, it's part of your condition… only a couple more weeks of it, and you'll be in the clear." Jes got up and hugged her. "I think you'll be a gorgeous bride… and this dress can do double duty."

Jacquie laughed as tears fell again. "Okay, let's find a bridesmaid dress for me for your wedding."

Clara grinned. "I'll be back with some ideas and the bump." She was gone before Jacquie could ask her what the bump was.

"What the hell is a bump?" Jacquie asked Jes.

Jes just shrugged. "No idea."

They waited patiently for Clara to return with a selection of purple dresses that would work for Jes' wedding in the fall.

* * *

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* * *

An hour later, they had dresses and a new pair of shoes for each of them to wear that night. Jes hung the dresses in the back of the Journey.

"So, what next?"

"Well, I have to pick up the dress Kevin ordered for Vinessa and I have to pick up the dress Antonio had me bring in for Eva to get repaired."

"What happened to the dress?" Jacquie asked.

"She went to try it on and the strap ripped off."

"Ouch. Was it new?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. He literally just bought it. Still had the tags attached." That was true, except the dress had been ordered over the phone that morning. Thankfully, Jes knew Eva's size from buying her junior bridesmaid dress earlier.

"Yikes." Jacquie yawned. "Hey, can we grab a snack or something? I'm starving… which is odd… considering I'm always puking."

"It's a paradox." Jes laughed. "Sure, how about some bagels and iced lemonade."

"What? No coffee?"

Jes' jaw dropped. "Seriously? You know damn well caffeine is bad for a baby."

"Oh… right."

"Yeah. Silly Jacquie. I know a place that makes kick-ass frozen lemonade that'll perk you right up. You can add a mixture of berries or other fruits to it too."

"Sounds good. I've been having a craving for mango the last couple of days." Jacquie laughed.

* * *

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* * *

Around 4, Jes picked up Eva and Vinessa. Diego was already at P2K with Damien and Meg. Jes was praying that Antonio and Kevin were there too. The last thing they needed was for this wedding to be delayed because of a case. Jes suspected, however, that they had filled Hank in. This was almost certain since Antonio had told her that Hank had said he'd be there.

"Mom, where are we going?" Eva asked. She was in on the plan, so she knew she had to be careful on how she phrased things for the next couple hours.

"My stylist is going to primp us for tonight."

"We're getting makeovers?" Vinessa shrieked excitedly. "Really?"

Jacquie laughed. "If that's what Jes says, then that's what we're going to do."

"Oh my God!" Vinessa was almost hyperventilating. "Jes, did Kevin approve?"

"He said it was okay."

Eva looked to Vinessa. "Why wouldn't he be okay with it?"

Vinessa sighed. "He thinks I'm too young for makeup and stuff."

"Well, tonight is kinda a big night." Jes said. "I guess he wants all of you feeling really pretty."

That left the two kids in a fit of laughter and left Jes and Jacquie remembering their time together in high school. They both knew that their lives were drastically different from back then, but they also new they'd been given new lives. They would make the best for their kids.

"Alright, here we go!" Jes parked the car in the rear of the salon. The whole place was closed. They were waiting specifically for them. She had given everyone the heads up. She'd gotten this far today, she wasn't about to let anyone ruin it.

* * *

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* * *

"Antonio, think she's going to be okay with this?" Kevin asked as he did up his cufflinks.

"Bro, she's gonna be blown away. I think she'll be shocked, but she's not gonna leave you at the altar. She loves you too much." Antonio straightened his tie. He knew Jes was going to ask about the case, but he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her that the son of a bitch had blown up Burgess and Roman's squad car while Jay and Erin was there. He knew that they were getting close. This Gish, or McGowan, or whoever he was, had an obsession with being underestimated and undermined. He knew it was only a matter of time before they caught him, but until then, he was on high alert.

"You still thinking about the case?" Kevin checked the overall look in the mirror.

"He blew up a squad car with 2 Patrolmen and 2 Detectives there. He's arrogant." Antonio said. "Gaby isn't going to be thrilled when she hears that."

"We'll get him. We always do." Kevin said.

"Hey, you two." Jay and Adam popped in.

"Hey, how's it all looking out there?" Kevin asked. He had left the rest of the decorating to his future in-laws and some of the P2K volunteers.

"Remind me to have you plan my wedding when it's time." Adam laughed.

"You got it, bro." Kevin hugged him. "No hard feelings that this is a small intimate affair?"

"Hey, you're marrying the woman of your dreams… all I want is your happiness." Adam patted his back. "Nervous?"

Kevin nodded. "Yep… but I know that she's the one to make my life complete… I'll get over the nerves as soon as I see her."

"Alright, bro. See you out there." Adam hugged him again.

It was Jay's turn. "You and Jacquie are made for each other. She's like another sister to me. So, treat her right. Good luck, man." Jay hugged him.

"Thanks, Jay." Kevin grinned. "I'll do right by her. Promise."

"You better." Damien appeared. "Or else, you'll be dealing with me."

"Sir." Kevin straightened.

Jay shook Damien's hand and headed out to help with any final details before the girls arrived.

"Kevin." Damien extended his hand. "I couldn't have asked for a better man to marry my daughter. I see you around her. She loves you. You respect her and you're honest with her. That's what she needs in her life."

"Thank you, sir." Kevin shook his future father-in-law's hand.

"Call me Damien… or Dad, if you want."

"Thanks, si… Dad." Kevin smiled. He hadn't known his own father more than what his mother had told him before she split.

"Congrats." Damien grinned. He turned to Antonio. "Jes doing okay?"

"She is, sir." Antonio said. "I'm keeping a close eye on her."

"Good. Alright. I believe I'm supposed to go meet the minister or…"

"Oh, Chaplain Orlovsky!" Antonio exclaimed. "Yeah, he's a CFD chaplain. Knows Chief Boden and my sister really well."

"Ah, okay. Well, I'm supposed to get him in here before the girls arrive and Jes texted Meg that they were about 30 minutes out."

Antonio looked at his watch. "Right on time. It's 5:30. I told Jes to be here for 6."

"Alright, well… it's almost show time." Kevin said. He had serious butterflies, but he knew this is what he wanted. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Jacquie, and he didn't want to wait another day. "Let's find that photographer to get this show on the road."

* * *

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* * *

Jes pulled up to P2K. "Alright, Vinessa and Eva. Go in and tell them we're here."

The girls, mindful of their dresses, took off.

"Jacquie, just wait here for a minute."

Jacquie turned. "Why?"

"You'll see."

Right on cue, Damien and Antonio walked up to the Journey.

Jacquie's jaw dropped as her father opened her door. "Daddy? Wha… You weren't supposed to be in until tomorrow."

Damien smiled. "That's what we told Kevin to tell you. We wouldn't miss this for the world." He kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Dad, it's just an engagement supper."

"No, Jacquie. It isn't." Jes said as Eva and Vinessa reappeared, this time carrying bouquets. They were quickly followed by Diego and Meg.

"What's going on?" Jacquie asked.

"Kevin planned this all for you." Meg smiled, hugging her daughter. She pulled a deep red rose from behind her back and weaved it into Jacquie's hair.

"Mom, planned what? I'm a little lost."

Vinessa handed her the bigger of the two bouquets she carried. "He wanted to surprise you."

"Jacquie, this isn't an engagement party." Antonio said slipping Jes' arm through his. "It's your wedding."

"What?!" Jacquie gasped. "You… he…"

"Sweetheart, he called us. He told me how he didn't want to wait another day. So, here we are." Damien stroked her cheek.

"Oh my God." Jacquie was at a loss. "I didn't think he meant it."

"He did." Jes grinned. "We somehow got this all together in less than 24 hours. Now, let's get this show on the road." She motioned to Diego. "You get to walk Meg up the aisle first. Then it's the girls. We'll be right behind you."

Diego nodded. "Got it." He extended his hand to Meg. "Ma'am."

Meg blushed. "I'm ready when you are."

As Diego and Meg entered P2K, music started to play. After waiting a few minutes, Vinessa and Eva followed. Jes and Antonio were next. Jacquie and Damien approached the doors.

"Dad, thank you."

"No, sweetheart. Don't thank me. I'm so proud of you. Now, let's go and get you married." He laughed.

The doors opened and Jacquie could hear the opening notes to "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. She could feel a tear form at the corner of her eye. She blinked it away and walked towards her future.

* * *

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* * *

Jacquie was in awe of everything. All their friends and family were there. Most of Kevin's co-workers from District 21 were there, along with some of their friends from Firehouse 51. The whole centre was decorated with red, black and gold… her signature colours. Everything was perfect. Then she saw him. Kevin was in his dress uniform. She hadn't seen him in that before. He was dashing. It made him seem even taller. Soon, she was right in front of him. Damien took her hand and placed it in Kevin's.

"Take care of my baby." Damien said.

"Yes, sir." Kevin smiled. He looked to his bride. "Wow… I… you look amazing."

Jacquie could feel her cheeks burn. "You look very dashing. I would've never guessed you'd wear your uniform."

"I plan on doing this once." Kevin whispered as he kissed her cheek. "I've heard women love men in uniform."

Jacquie's cheeks burned even more. "You got that right. You're very sneaky."

"I know… but it's part of my job… plus, I couldn't wait another day to marry you."

Chaplain Orlovsky cleared his throat. "We ready to do this?"

Kevin laughed. "Sorry Padre. Yes." He took Jacquie's hand and together they took the last couple steps to the front of the makeshift aisle.

"Alright now." The Chaplain grinned. "I know this is a surprise wedding, and we were all in on it… Jacquie… you ready to get married?"

Jacquie nodded and handed her bouquet to Jes, who was standing just off to the side. "I am."

"Great." Chaplain Orlovsky turned to the small crowd. "Good evening. We are gathered here this evening to witness the joining of Kevin Atwater and Jacquie Lennox in Holy Matrimony. Now, since we're all here on such short notice, we're going to assume that there are no objections, especially since the bride and groom are more than willing to go through with this." This drew laughter from the crowd. The Chaplain waited for things to quiet down. "Jacquie, we'll start with you. Do you take Kevin to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, in the good times and the bad, so long as you both shall live?"

Jacquie grinned. "I do."

"Kevin, do you take Jacquie to be your lawfully wedded wife? In sickness and in health, in the good times and the bad, so long as you both shall live?"

"I most definitely do." Kevin said.

"The rings please." Chaplain Orlovsky signalled to Diego.

Diego stepped forward with the ring pillow that Meg had brought. The Chaplain said a prayer over them and quickly blessed them. He took Jacquie's wedding band and handed it to Kevin. "Repeat after me. Jacquie, accept this ring as a symbol of my unending love and commitment to you."

"Jacquie," Kevin's voice hitched. "Accept this ring as a symbol of my unending love and commitment to you." He slid the ring over her left ring finger.

Chaplain Orlovsky handed Jacquie Kevin's wedding band. "Kevin, accept this ring as a symbol of my unending love and commitment to you."

Jacquie's voice shook a little as she repeated after the Chaplain. The emotions were overwhelming her. "Kevin… accept this ring… as a symbol of my unending love and… commitment to you." She slid the ring onto his left ring finger.

Kevin squeezed her hand.

"Without further ado, by the power vested in my by God and the State of Illinois… I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss your bride."

Kevin didn't need to be told twice. He pulled Jacquie in close and dipped her as he kissed her passionately. Cheers erupted in the hall. When they broke apart, they just stared into each other's eyes. Chaplain Orlovski led them to a small table to sign the necessary documents with Jes and Antonio. It was official now. She was married to the man of her dreams.

Once they'd signed the papers, Chaplain Orlovski spoke again. "May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Kevin and Jacquie Atwater!"

More cheers and applause thundered around them. Kevin signalled to Vinessa, who came running over.

"Finally!" She exclaimed. "I was starting to be worried."

"Why is that?" Kevin asked.

"Do you know how hard it is to keep something like this a secret?" She said dramatically.

Jacquie laughed. "I can imagine. You did a great job of keeping this a surprise, Vinessa."

Vinessa threw herself at Jacquie. "I finally have a sister! Welcome to our family."

Jacquie maintained her balance and hugged her new sister tightly. "Thank you, Vinessa."

"A Thousand Years" began to play again. Kevin extended his hand. "Time for our dance, Mrs. Atwater."

Jacquie blushed. "I can't wait."

He led her to the centre of the cleared space and the two danced as if they were the only ones in the world.

Jes and Antonio were watching them closely. "I can't believe we pulled this off." Jes sighed, laying her head on Antonio's shoulder.

"Neither can I." Antonio kissed her forehead. "But, we did it. They're happy and that's all that matters."

"I can't wait for our special day."

"Which one?" Antonio asked.

"What do you mean? Do you have a second wedding planned that I don't know about?" Jes cocked her head to one side.

"I thought maybe you couldn't wait for D-Day." He rubbed her stomach.

"Oh… well, yeah. I can't wait for that either, but I can't wait to get this." She motioned to what was going on around them.

People were mingling or dancing. The kids were tearing up the dance floor.

"Yeah, well… neither can I." Antonio kissed her. "We could do this and have the fluff later."

"No… we have a plan… we'll stick to it." Jes sighed. "How's the case going?"

"Um…"

"Antonio… no secrets… that's the deal… remember?"

"Hey guys." Jay walked up. He handed Antonio a beer and Jes a glass of punch. "What's up?"

"He's not telling me about the case." Jes pouted.

Jay looked to Antonio. He didn't want Jes to know any more than Antonio did, but he knew his sister. If she didn't get the information she wanted, she'd go to Voight. "Um… well…"

"Not you too." Jes groaned. "Can you guys just be honest with me?"

"Well… the bastard blew up a squad car with me and Erin as witnesses." Jay sighed.

Jes' jaw dropped. "Was anyone hurt?"

Antonio shook his head. "No. Everyone's fine."

"But…"

"It's part of our plan. We need to get this guy… and the only way we're going to do it by pushing him and getting under his skin." Antonio explained.

"Sounds dangerous." Jes whispered.

"We've got it covered. I promise." Jay reassured her.

"I hope so." Jes shivered.

"You okay, babe?" Antonio asked.

"Just got a chill… the same kind I get when my gut tells me something's going to happen." Jes said, fear filled her voice.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: So, here we go… a nice long chapter with a little twist. Sorry it took so long for an update! I was busy finishing my diploma in Medical Office Assistance. Now, let me know what you think about this chapter... Love ya to the moon and back! Nicole**_


	31. Love The Way You Lie

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* * *

Antonio headed into work the next morning praying that they got somewhere with this case. He felt uneasy on how cocky this Gish character was. He was even more uncomfortable when Jes had mentioned her gut feeling. She was never wrong when she got those. That meant something was going to go down. He was deep in thought when Kevin appeared in the bull pen.

"Hey, 'Tonio… everything okay?" Kevin asked.

"Hey, Kev… yeah. Just… thinking… wait… what the hell are you doing here? Didn't you just get married last night?"

Kevin laughed. "Yeah, and my wife told me to catch this prick before we go on our honeymoon."

"Ah…" Antonio snickered. "I guess both our women get what they want."

"How long you been here, man?"

"Since 6."

"Didn't you sleep?"

"No, he didn't." Jes appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "He kept me up too… so… here's some breakfast for all of you… and I'm going to go and meet up with Jacquie. She's coming back to P2K now… since she doesn't have to worry about planning a wedding anymore."

"Fair enough." Antonio took the basket that Jes handed him. "Exactly who are you all feeding with this?"

"Whoever needs it." Jes sighed. "Just promise me you're gonna catch this son of a bitch. I'd like my life back to normal."

"What's Jacquie always say about normal?" Kevin teased.

"Atwater… not today." Jes groaned. "I can't have coffee or any form of caffeine so it's going to be a very long day."

"Sorry, baby." Antonio kissed her cheek. "I really am. We'll get him…"

"Preferably before he blows up anymore of my squad cars." Platt came up the stairs. "I smelled breakfast."

"Help yourself, Trudy." Jes smiled. "There's breakfast taquitos in there, some breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon buns… pretty much everything."

"Very nice." Trudy hugged her. "Thank you." She turned to Antonio. "Food. Now, Dawson."

Antonio just shook his head and handed her the basket. For some reason, Jes got away with calling his superiors by their first names and had them all wrapped around her little finger. "Here, Sarge. You get first pick."

Trudy grinned and pulled out one of the breakfast taquitos and a cinnamon bun and headed back to her desk. "Thanks again, Jes. See ya around."

"What is it about you that makes our bosses like you so much?" Kevin asked. He was as perplexed as Antonio was on that subject.

"I'm just nice to them." Jes shrugged. "Gotta go. Jacquie's waiting for me to pick her up."

"Can you two stay out of trouble today?" Antonio asked as he unwrapped one of the cinnamon buns.

Jes turned around. "Can you two avoid attempts on your life?"

Kevin groaned. "We're doing our best, Jes."

"Then… we'll do our best to stay out of trouble. Love you guys." She hugged Kevin and then kissed Antonio.

Antonio watched as she left. He groaned. "That woman is going to be the death of me one day."

"I doubt it." Kevin pulled out the food so it was easier for people to grab as they came in. "She loves you, man. You love her. It's plain as day."

"Yeah. I know." Antonio went back to his desk with his breakfast to continue going through Gish or McGowan or whatever his name was' file. They needed to get him, preferably before someone else had to die.

* * *

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* * *

Jes headed to pick Jacquie and the kids up. She had dropped Eva and Diego off there while she went to deal with feeding Intelligence. She put the SUV in park and headed inside. "Hey guys. I'm back."

"Mom!" Diego came running. "Eva won't let me use the computer."

"Diego… it's too early for that. We're going to P2K now anyhow… you can use one of those for school work." Jes hugged him. "Grab your things, please."

Diego nodded and went to collect his bags. Eva must've caught on because when Jes went into the kitchen, she was packing up her things too.

Jes turned to Jacquie, who was putting dishes away. "How are you feeling, Mrs. Atwater."

"I'm going to have to get used to that." Jacquie laughed. "I can't believe he actually pulled that off."

"Well, he did… you're married now." Jes grinned. "How's it feel?"

"Amazing." Jacquie beamed. "He won't tell me what he has planned for our honeymoon, though."

Jes put her hands up. "I have no idea. That's one thing he didn't talk to me about."

"Hmm… well… I guess I'll find out once they catch this pyro they're chasing."

"Yep. Let's get going. We have a mountain of paperwork to go through for the first half of the year to show to City Council that P2K is working."

"Alright… paperwork it is." Jacquie closed the dishwasher. "Let's go."

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* * *

Antonio and the rest of Intelligence were in the rollout waiting for Gaby, Chief Boden and Kelly to come and give them more information on the fires that Gish was being accused of starting. It wasn't long before Kevin led them there. Kelly wasn't there but Megan, Shay's sister, was.

Gaby asked. "Remember Megan?"

Antonio nodded and hugged Megan. "Yeah. It's nice to see you again. Sorry about the circumstances."

Megan nodded. "You guys close to catching this guy?"

"We're gonna get him. I promise." Antonio said. "He's obsessed with being underestimated. He's gonna crack." He turned to Chief Boden. "Chief."

Gaby put a map on the table for Lindsay and Jay to look at. She explained that they had mapped out all the fires they suspected Gish was guilty of. "These go all the way back to 1970."

Chief added. "We don't know how far Gish goes back with all this, but we figured the more information you had the better."

"His name's not Gish." Antonio said. "He's been using a fake identity for a long time. We don't know how long."

Jay went on to explain the torched patrol car and Antonio told them that it had all been part of their plan. Antonio could tell by the look on Gaby's face that she wasn't buying it.

"This helps too." Erin said. "Hey, Atwater let's cross-reference these fires with the name Ross McGowan and see what pops."

"Pardon me?" Chief interrupted them. "What did you just say?"

"Ross McGowan… Gish's birth name." Kevin replied.

"That is not his birth name." Chief said angrily.

Voight finally spoke up. "What's that, Chief?"

"Ross McGowan was a firefighter… He died in the same fire that killed Peter Mills' father, Henry… the same fire where I got my scars."

"So McGowan's a fake ID too?" Voight was fidgeting with his water bottle.

"Going back 20 years." Chief Boden confirmed.

Voight lost it. He flung his bottle at the wall. This caused everyone to jump. "Who is this guy?!" His voice was filled with rage.

It was understandable. They were no further ahead than when Gaby had first called Antonio about him.

Antonio took it upon himself to get the fire crew out of there. "Thanks for coming. We'll update you guys as soon as there's something to update."

Chief nodded. "Yeah."

Megan's voice was panicked. "Please don't tell me that you guys aren't…"

"Megan, look at me." Antonio said. "This prick is going down." Antonio looked to Gaby. He could see she didn't believe him. "Hey, sis." He followed her to the stairs leading outside. "Voight's just frustrated… we're all taking this a bit personally now."

"Antonio, you looked in the man's eyes, right? He's not human. He's not even an animal. He's darkness."

"I know."

"You need to arrest him, you make something up and have him thrown in the pit. Never look back."

"It doesn't work that way." Antonio's voice went a little harsher than he had wanted it to.

"Voight does." Gaby countered. "I've seen it."

"Wow. Haven't you come full circle on Voight." Antonio was a little surprised at what his sister was saying.

"Well, what are you doing?"

"My job."

"Man, everyone keeps saying that." Gaby groaned. She took a couple steps up the flight of stairs.

"It's the truth. You may not wanna hear it, but I believe in the system Gaby. Because at the end of the day, it works. Now, we're gonna catch Gish, in the act." Antonio countered. "And he's gonna spend the rest of his pathetic life right where he belongs. Locked up. Alone. In the darkness. Like you said."

"I really hope you're right… before he kills somebody else. Because if he does… that's on you." Gaby turned and left the precinct.

Antonio just stood there in shock. He had never felt like this. He felt as if he'd let his little sister down. That she didn't believe in him. He turned back to listen to what the rest of the team was doing to try and find out Gish's real identity. "Keep pushing. I want to get this bastard. Sooner, rather than later."

* * *

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* * *

Jes and Jacquie were halfway through their records when Lexie appeared in the office door way. "Uh, Jes… Jacquie?" She asked.

"Hey, Lexie. Everything okay?"

"Yeah… um.. one of the girls cut her finger in the food prep… I can't find the first aid kit." Lexie whispered.

"Oh, sweetie. It's okay. I'll go take care of it." Jes got up. "You okay here?"

Jacquie nodded. "Yep. I'll pull an accident report sheet to get filled when you come back."

"Thanks. Alright, Lexie. Show me where she is." Jes pulled the first aid kit off the wall and followed Lexie into the kitchen. "Vinessa?"

"Hi, Miss. H." Vinessa whispered. She had a towel wrapped around the palm of her hand.

"What happened sweetie?" Jes asked as she pulled out a pair of gloves and some gauze.

"I was cutting a bagel… and the knife sliced into my hand."

"Didn't we teach you to cut away from yourself?" Jes asked as she carefully pulled the towel away to look at the cut.

"Yeah." Vinessa nodded. "I forgot."

"Okay, well the cut isn't deep. So you're not going to need stitches. Do you want me to call Kevin?"

Vinessa shook her head. "No. I just want to go back with the other kids."

Jes smiled. "Sure thing. I'm gonna bandage you all up and you'll be all set to go." Jes finished wrapping her hand. "No, try not to get this wet and you'll be fine. Go join the others." Jes hugged her.

"Thanks, Miss. H." Vinessa hopped off the chair and headed to join the rest of the kids.

"Thanks for coming to get me." Jes packed the kit. "Why didn't you say it was Vinessa?"

"She didn't want to worry Jacquie." Lexie said. "Am I in trouble?"

Jes laughed. "No. No, you're fine. It's good. Um, I guess I should get a couple more first aid kits to put around here." She looked to Lexie. "Do you have first aid training?"

Lexie shook her head. "No. Not formal training. My dad's taught me some stuff."

"If I get someone in here to train you guys, think the others would be interested?"

Lexie didn't even hesitate. "Totally! It looks good on college applications and stuff… so yeah."

Jes grinned. "Good. I'll call Gaby and uh, maybe Sylvie or Peter. See if they can come do a formal class for you guys."

"That would be awesome. Thanks, Jes."

"No problem, Lexie. Here, find somewhere to put this kit and I'll order some other ones when I get back to my office."

"Okay." Lexie took the kit and went to find a safe place to put it.

Jes headed back to her office. "Jacquie?"

"Under here." Jacquie's muffled voice said.

"Where on earth are you?" Jes looked around the office.

"Under your desk." Jacquie groaned.

Jes went around the desk and saw Jacquie on her hands and knees picking up papers. "What happened?"

"I turned around too fast and knocked a whole bunch of files down… now I'm trying to pick up after myself." Jacquie groaned. She decided to quit kneeling and sat on the floor. "Who got hurt?"

"Vinessa… and before you flip your shit… your little sister-in-law is fine." Jes put her hand on Jacquie's shoulder. "It was a minor cut. I took care of it and she's back playing with the other kids."

"OH, thank God." Jacquie leaned back against the filing cabinet. "So, what now?"

"Well, now I contact Sylvie and Gaby… see if we can organize a way to get some of our teen volunteers First Aid certified… then they won't always be running for one of us."

"Sounds like a plan… hey… where's the kit?"

"Left it in the kitchen. It'll be needed there. I'll order a few more kits to have placed around the centre. We never know when those things will come in handy."

"True."

"So, what exactly did you all knock over?" Jes asked as she sat on the ground next to Jacquie to help pick up the disastrous amounts of paper.

* * *

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* * *

"Olinsky said that Gish has old burn scars from a fire on his arms." Voight said.

"We can use that." Jay replied.

"We know that he's changed IDs at least twice going back 20 years." Voight added. "What do we know about psychopaths?"

Antonio replied. "They work up to their first kills and usually aren't very careful in the early going."

"Either Gish burned himself starting a fire… or more likely he suffered an inciting incident and that's what set him off." Erin said.

"Exactly." Voight turned to Antonio. "In the interview room, Gish mentioned men killed their own families. Check out fires in the Bridgeport area that took out an entire family and only a little boy survived." He turned and when back to his office.

A little while later, Erin called out. "Hey, we got one! Fire in Bridgeport 1975."

"Killed a husband, the mom and a brother. There was one surviving child at the time. He was age 7, Trenton Lamont." Jay rattled off the details from the file.

"Got an address?" Voight asked.

"3424 South Green Street." Jay answered.

"Let's hit it." Voight said.

The team grabbed their gear and headed out, while Atwater was staying behind to keep going through files.

* * *

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* * *

After arriving at the Lamont address, they quickly learned that Trenton Lamont and Adrian Gish were the same person. A neighbour confirmed to Voight that he still lived there.

"Vest up." Voight said. Warrant or not, they were going in.

Antonio busted down the door. Voight headed upstairs while Jay and Erin cleared the main floor of the house. Antonio stood watch at the door, waiting for the 'All Clear'. Erin and Jay froze when they saw what took up a majority of the desk and computer space in Lamont's office.

"Hey, in here!" Jay called out.

Antonio left the front door and came to see what was going on. His jaw dropped. Pictures of Gaby and Jes plastered the wall and desk.

"What the fuck?" Erin asked, leafing through some of the pictures.

"Gaby… Jes…" Antonio whispered. "They're his next targets."

Voight came down the stairs, holstering his weapon. When he saw the scene, he said. "Oh my God."

Antonio pulled out his phone and hit Al's speed dial. "Al, you got eyes on Gish?"

"Yeah, he's entering a grocery store on Roosevelt as we speak. We're letting him…"

"He's targeting Gaby and Jes, Al. Snatch him up!" Antonio ended the call.

"He's sending out false texts." Erin said as she was going through his computer. "Last one's to Gaby and Jes from Sylvie Brett, telling them to meet her at this address."

"When?" Antonio asked.

"Now." Erin replied.

* * *

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* * *

"So, the paperwork's done and we have the outline for the report for City Council done. Now to proof it and finalize it." Jes sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I'm thinking I should probably find someone who can digitize all these files. It would make life a lot easier… and take up less space."

"I'm with you there." Jacquie was playing with her wedding band. "Hey, you got some crackers hiding back there?"

Jes laughed. "Yep. Still feeling nauseated?"

"Sometimes. Just really want some crackers."

"Are you a parrot?" Jes asked. Her phone dinged. "Oh, it's Sylvie."

"That was fast."

"Well, maybe she's off today?" Jes said. "She can meet me and Gaby right now to go over some of the First Aid stuff."

"Wow. Okay, I guess I can watch over the place while you're gone."

"It won't be too long. It's not far from here. 6 S Loomis Street."

"Okay, well… go. I'll be fine. Just leave me the crackers." Jacquie said.

Jes handed her the package of saltines as she grabbed her purse. "Don't eat them all."

"Yeah, yeah."

Jes headed out to meet up with Gaby and Sylvie, unaware that she'd left her cell on her desk.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio hopped in Voight's Escalade and told him to floor it. They headed to Loomis, hoping to get Lamont before he got to Jes and Gaby. He tried calling Jes but Jacquie answered the phone. "Where's Jes?" He demanded.

"Yeesh, snippy. She went to meet Sylvie and Gaby to talk about some first aid stuff for our volunteers. She left her phone behind…What's going on?"

Antonio didn't answer. He hung up the call and dialed Al's number again. "Al, tell me you got him."

Al's answer didn't help. "We don't have eyes. He's in the wind."

Antonio turned to Voight. Voight just pushed the gas pedal to floor. "Oh God." Antonio said. He dialed Gaby's cell. "Come on! Pick up! Pick up!"

"Hey, Antonio. I'm just about to get in…"

"Gaby, get outta there!"

"Antonio?"

"Gaby, listen to me!" Antonio shouted. The call was cut off. It was too late.

"We're almost there." Voight answered. He basically drifted around the next corner, laying on the horn to get people to move.

They arrived and Antonio jumped out grabbing his long gun. He booked it for the door. Voight was right on his tail.

Antonio made his way to the elevator and saw someone fidgeting with the door. "Hey! Who are you? What's going on?"

The maintenance man put his hands up. "Hey, I just work here. I got a call… the elevator was stuck."

"You smell that?" Voight asked.

"Gasoline." Antonio replied. Now he was panicking because he knew that one if not both of the most important women in his life was in that elevator and Lamont was nearby, ready to send them up in flames like a roman candle. "Keys. What floor is it stuck on?"

"Between three and four." The maintenance guy answered.

Antonio grabbed the keys from his hand and booked it up the stairs to the fifth floor. He knew that the only way to end this was to put a bullet in Lamont's skull.

Voight pointed to the door and told the maintenance guy. "Here. Wait out there." He watched as Antonio flew up the stairs. He prayed they had made it on time.

"Hank?" Jes' voice caused him to spin around. "What are you doing here?"

"Jeslyn!" Hank exclaimed. He ran to her. "Thank God." He hugged her. "Thank God."

"What the fuck is going on here?" Jes asked.

"Um… You're here to meet…"

"Gaby and Sylvie… yeah… it's for P2K." Jes pulled back. "What the hell is going on… why are you here?"

"That pyro we've been chasing… he's the one who texted you and Gaby. Not Sylvie."

"But… wait… is that gasoline?" Jes coughed.

Voight nodded.

"He's here! Where's Gaby?! Where's Antonio?!" Jes panicked.

"Hey, it's okay. Antonio's here. He's gonna put this bastard down, once and for all." Hank patted her shoulder.

"Where's… is Gaby in the elevator?"

"Let's go over here." Hank tried to pull her away.

"Answer me, Hank. Please."

"Yes." He replied. "Look, she's gonna be fine. Antonio's…"

There was a loud, echoing gunshot.

Jes cried out. "Antonio!" She collapsed into Hank and wept.

Hank helped her to a chair and helped her sit down. "Jes, it's okay. That was Antonio… he's fine. Gaby's fine."

His words were confirmed when Antonio came flying back down the stairs, dropping his gun on the ground and using the maintenance man's key to open the elevator door. Antonio rushed into the elevator and pulled Gaby into his arms. He was crying. "Oh God! You okay?"

Gaby was coughing. "Yeah. Yeah." She handed him the lighter that Gish/Lamont had planned on using to burn her.

Voight stepped into the elevator and looked at Antonio's handiwork. There was no way Gish was going to hurt anyone ever again. It was over. "Bro." Voight tapped Antonio on the shoulder. "Jes…"

Antonio looked up from hugging Gaby and saw Jes, shaking in a chair. "Baby. Jes!" He exclaimed. Gaby nodded and let go of her brother. Antonio ran to Jes' side. "Jes… thank God. Oh, thank God."

"Antonio!" Jes flung herself into his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She wept.

Antonio held her tightly. He laid his head on hers. "Baby, no. It's okay. We're all okay. It's over." He kissed her forehead. He tilted up her chin and looked into her eyes. "It's over. I promise you."

"Did you kill him?" Jes sniffled.

"Yeah." Antonio whispered. He kissed her again. "I was so worried. About the both of you."

Gaby joined them and Jes hugged her tightly. "What the hell is going on?" Jes asked Gaby.

Gaby was still coughing from inhaling all the gasoline fumes that had flooded the elevator. "Gish… or whatever the fuck his name was… he sent me and you some texts claiming to be Sylvie. He got me in the elevator… probably expected you to be in there with me…"

"I got caught behind an accident." Jes said.

"Thank God for that." Antonio whispered.

"He poured a jerry can of gas in there and was gonna light us all up… but Antonio got him."

"It's done. I called CSU." Voight said. "Gaby, you need to get checked out."

"I'm fine, Sarge. Really." Gaby coughed violently.

"I'll take you. Antonio can drive your car to P2K, before he heads back to the District." Jes insisted. "Come on… gas fumes… really not good for anyone."

"Fine." Gaby coughed and wheezed. "I'll go." She reached into her pocket and handed Antonio her keys. "Don't wreck it… please."

"Promise." Antonio kissed her cheek. He turned to Jes. "Maybe you should get checked out when your there too… just to be safe."

"I'm fine. Everyone's alive and that psycho's dead… I'm fine and so is baby." Josie kissed him. "I'll call once we hear something, okay?"

Antonio nodded and hugged them both before letting them leave the building.

Voight patted him on the shoulder. "You okay, bro?"

Antonio nodded weakly. "Some days… this job…"

"I know. I know." Voight nodded. "You've got a great family and that Jeslyn… she's one hell of a woman."

"Don't I know it." Antonio picked up his gun. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

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* * *

"Jes, really… I'm fine." Gaby insisted on the way to Chicago Med.

"Gaby, enough." Jes said. "You're still wheezing. You were in an elevator breathing in gas fumes. You need to be checked out."

"Fine." Gaby slumped back in the seat. "Are you okay?"

Jes sighed. "Yeah. I was scared I had lost both of you."

"Thank God for Antonio's sniper training."

"He was a sniper?" Jes asked.

Gaby turned to her future sister. "He never told you?"

"He's like Jay. Neither of them like to talk about their time in the service."

"Oh." Gaby said. "Well, yeah. He did sniper duty. He didn't like it, but he still did it."

"Well, you're right. Thank God he did do it."

"How's the baby?" Gaby asked.

"He's fine… active. I swear he'll be like Antonio."

"You know for sure it's a boy?" Gaby arched an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't finding out?"

"It's just a feeling."

"Ah. Whatta ya mean he'll be like Antonio?"

"He's got one hell of a punch." Jes laughed. "Baby particularly enjoys punching my bladder when I'm in the middle of something important."

Gaby laughed. "Well, I box too… so maybe it's a girl and she'll be like Tia Gaby."

"All I want is a healthy baby." Jes sighed. "With everything that's happened… that's all I could ever ask for."

"You're healthy, Jes. Antonio's healthy. That baby'll be just fine." Gaby patted Jes' hand. "I know it."

"Well, let's make sure Tia Gaby is fine, then we can head to Molly's." Jes laughed.

* * *

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* * *

Back at the District, Antonio was packing up his bag to leave. Kevin and Adam joined him in the locker room.

Kevin said. "Antonio." He walked up and fist bumped him. "That's some fine police work there, brother."

"Yeah, thanks." Antonio replied.

"You, uh… you alright?" Adam asked.

Antonio looked at Adam as he hung his bullet proof vest on the hanger. "Me? I'm glad I save the courts the trouble."

Adam replied. "You and me both. Hey, you're coming right?"

"Yeah." Antonio answered.

"See you in a minute." Kevin said as he and Ruzek left the locker room.

Antonio hung his vest in his locker and slammed the door closed. He sat on the bench, his breath was shaky. That's when it hit him. Everything he had been through. It hit him like a tonne of bricks. He looked at his hands. They were shaking. He hadn't felt this way since he was on sniper duty with the Marines and he had had his first kill. He felt a tear slide down his cheek. It was then, and only then, that he realized how close he came to losing Gaby, Jes and the baby. He put his face in his hands and wept.

* * *

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* * *

At Molly's, Kevin and Adam kept Chief Boden, Peter and Megan in conversation. They made sure they knew that this was over and being happy about it was perfectly okay. Antonio and Jes sat at the bar while Gaby was tending bar. Gaby and Antonio each downed a shot of whiskey

"I almost…" Antonio stuttered.

Gaby said. "Shh… hey." She touched his arm.

Jes squeezed his hand.

"We're all good. You did it. I'm fine. We're all fine. Thanks to you." Gaby took his other hand and kissed it.

Jes laid her head on his shoulder. "You're our hero. Hey, where's Jay?"

Antonio looked around. "No clue, but Erin's not here either."

"They're probably at her place." Gaby said. "Look, let's call it a night and we're going to move on to bigger and better things." She handed Antonio a beer and Jes a glass of gingerale. "Cheers."

After finishing their drinks, Antonio and Jes headed home. They needed some time together to get over the day's events.

Kevin watched as Antonio and Jes left. He wanted to go home to his wife and Vinessa. He turned around and almost jumped when he saw Hank standing next to him.

"Atwater." Voight greet him.

"Sarge."

"So, I was looking at your personal days… you haven't touched a single one since you started upstairs last year."

"Uh…"

"I have to put you on furlough." Voight said.

"But, Sarge…"

"No buts about it, Kevin. If I don't… Commander Fisher will… better to hear it from me."

Kevin sighed. "I really don't have a choice?"

Hank shook his head. "No. Go… enjoy some time off with that new wife of yours. I'm sure she'll love having you around for a week or so."

"Alright, Sarge." Kevin agreed. "So I can come back in a week?"

"Yeah." Hank took a sip of his Manhattan. "Go on. I'm sure Jacquie's waiting for you."

Kevin nodded, finished his drink and went to put some money down on the table for his drinks.

"I got it, Kevin." Voight motioned for Kevin to put his wallet away. "Just get on home."

Kevin nodded. He grabbed his jacket and keys and headed home.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio and Jes were lying in bed. Antonio had his head on her belly. He was talking to the baby. Jes was reclined on a mound of pillows stroking Antonio's hair. She knew how worried he had been. She didn't know what he was saying. He was talking to the baby in Spanish. She knew that the baby was going to be speaking three languages. She admired how much attention he was paying to the baby.

"Antonio?" Jes asked.

"Yeah, babe?" He looked up at her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Antonio whispered.

"You've been talking to the baby… a lot."

"I… uh… I never got to do this with Eva or Diego." Antonio said. "I've always felt bad about that. I never got a chance to be the dad I wanted to be. I don't want to make that same mistake with this one as I did with them."

"Antonio." Jes sighed. "You can't go overboard either. Don't forget the promise we made the kids when we told them that we weren't going to favour this baby over them."

Antonio pulled himself up. "I know." He sighed. "I know. It's just… this is new to me… to be able to be a part of the pregnancy… to be able to be there when this baby comes."

"We're not there yet." Jes reminded him. "Don't get too far ahead of yourself. You don't know what it'll be like come June or July. You could be undercover for all you know."

Antonio shook his head. "No. I told Voight… the instant you hit 8 months… I'm not doing undercover anymore. I can't risk it."

"Okay." She touched his cheek. "I love you… you know that right?"

"I know… and I love you too." He kissed her. "I love you, so much. You had me worried."

"I'm fine, Antonio. So is the baby. Alec did a full workup. Everything is normal."

Antonio rubbed her belly. "I'm so thankful for that. I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you or Gaby."

"But, you didn't." Jes said. "You have both of us and neither of us is going anywhere."

"Okay…" He looked at the clock. "We should get some sleep. We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Mhmm." Jes sighed as Antonio rearranged the pillows around her.

"We have too many goddamned pillows on this bed." Antonio grunted as he tossed a few of them onto the floor. "They're everywhere."

"We only have them for me to recline on when you're talking to the baby."

"Hmph." Antonio huffed. "Okay, bed. For baby too."

Jes laughed as she turned out the lights. She then sighed as Antonio wrapped his arms around her. This was a safe haven. This was home.

* * *

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* * *

The next morning, Antonio got dressed and made some breakfast. He heard Jes' alarm go off. He waited patiently for her to pad into the kitchen.

She rounded the corner, stretching. "Hey… what time did you get up?"

"Five." Antonio answered. He put a plate of pancakes on the table. "Here, eat."

"What about you?" Jes asked as she sat down.

Antonio grabbed another plate and set of cutlery. "I made myself one too."

"So, work today?"

"After I go to the gym." Antonio replied.

"Getting back into a routine are we, Detective?" Jes said.

Antonio nodded. "Have to. Can't go and get lazy."

Jes snickered. "You are the last person I'd ever call lazy, Antonio."

Antonio finished his plate. "You going to work?"

Jes nodded. "Yep. Jacquie's staying home for a week. Kevin's home since Hank put him on forced furlough for a week."

"Poor Jacquie." Antonio laughed.

"More like poor Kevin." Jes joined in on the laughter. "You have no idea what Jacquie can be like. She'll be even worse because of the hormones."

"Oh. Well, then I guess I'll pray for Kevin. You gonna be okay running the centre alone?"

"Antonio, I'm never alone. I have 15-30 people there volunteering all the time. I'll be fine."

"Alright." Antonio tidied up and grabbed his jacket. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Damn well, better… otherwise… I'll come looking for you."

"I don't doubt it. I'll call if something comes up." Antonio kissed her.

"Have a good day, Antonio."

"You too, Jes."

* * *

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* * *

Jay was very confused as ever when he saw Erin and Bunny in Voight's office. The door was closed. He didn't see Antonio anywhere and Kevin was on forced furlough. He took off his coat and sat at his desk to check over his emails. Voight's office door opened and Erin stormed out.

"Don't get comfy. We've gotta check on a possible offender." She said.

"Bunny?" He asked.

"I… I'll explain later." She grabbed her coat. "Let's roll."

Nadia came up the stairs and thumped her back on her desk.

"What you got in there? Bricks?" Jay asked.

"Criminal Law books… gotta keep crammin' for this test." Nadia answered.

"Look, Atwater's on forced furlough… can you man his desk?" Erin asked her.

Nadia nodded. "Yeah. Sure."

Erin patted her on the shoulder before heading down the stairs with Jay on her tail.

* * *

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* * *

After an adventure in preventing a robbery at a local cheque exchange, Jay and Erin headed back to the District. Everyone was waiting for them. Adam was putting up the picture of their suspect on the board. Antonio came up the stairs behind them with a female detective in tow. Jay looked his future brother-in-law. It wasn't often that Antonio smiled at work, so seeing him smile at this detective made Jay feel a little uncomfortable.

"This is Gina Gawronski." Antonio introduced her. "We used to work Vice together. Now she's rocking it in Robbery-Homicide."

The team welcomed her and Voight voiced his welcome too.

She looked at the board. "Looks like you guys caught a crew we've been trying to get for months." She went on to explain the crew's motive and actions. "We hoped the reward would help?"

Erin and Hank looked to each other. "What reward money?" Erin asked.

Gina responded. "About a week ago, the cheque exchange put out a 25k reward for any information leading to the arrest of the offenders."

"So, if this guy's out there and he knows his partner got popped, no telling what he'll do to that family." Antonio ran his hand through his hair.

The situation had just gone from bad to worse.

She also explained that the partner that was still out there was the most violent. "During their third robbery, a dye pack went off in his face when the manager was handing over the cash, so he shot the manager's wife and dumped her body in the forest preserve."

"Alright, thanks." Voight said. "We'll take it from here."

Jay looked to the interaction between Gina and Antonio. He was wondering what history was between those two. They looked just a little too friendly with each other. He didn't trust her. She could've been the Superintendent and he still wouldn't like how she was throwing herself all over Antonio. Jay then turned his attention to Erin. Whatever Bunny had to do with this, he could tell that Erin was not happy with her mother's involvement. He watched as Erin headed to the kitchen where Nadia was taking Bunny's statement.

Antonio sat in his desk. "I appreciate you coming down, Gina."

"Yeah, well… I hate to say it but I'm glad you've got this case now."

"Yeah?" Antonio laughed. "We get that a lot."

Gina sat on the corner of his desk. "Hmm. Heard you went through a split."

"Yeah…" Despite everything he had with Jes, his divorce from Laura and her death was still a sore spot. "You know how it is."

"I know too well. I'm actually going back to my maiden name… Santos." Gina smiled. "Just waiting for the judge to sign the papers."

Antonio wasn't 100% sure where she was going with this. _'She has to know I'm off the market.'_ He thought to himself.

"When you close this case, let's grab a drink." She winked to him and grabbed her coat and headed out of the bullpen.

Antonio smiled. It was good to catch up with old friends. He was about to call Jes and let her know that he had a friend he wanted her to meet when his phone rang. "Dawson." He listened to Burgess on the other end of the line. "What do ya mean 'you sorta found a truck'?" He listened to the rest of the details. "We're on our way."

Jay looked up. "What's up?"

"They sorta found the truck. Let's roll out." Antonio grabbed his jacket again.

Jay followed him down the stairs. "Hey, 'Tonio… bro, I gotta ask, man."

"Ask what?" Antonio zipped his jacket up.

"What's up with that Gina chick?"

Antonio stopped in his tracks. "Just exactly what are you insinuating, Jay?"

"Antonio, come on. She was throwing herself all over you."

"Jay… I'm marrying your sister. I have no interest in Gina."

"You sure?" Jay put on his toque.

Antonio sighed. "Look, if you had asked me that when Laura first walked out on me and Jes wasn't in the picture… sure. But Jes is in my life and she's carrying my child. I'm not about to fuck that up."

"Okay." Jay said. "Just had to ask."

"You're Jes' brother. I'd be worried if you didn't care. She invited me for drinks once we catch this bastard. I said sure…" Antonio caught the look Jay was giving him. "I'm gonna bring Jes with me. I want Jes to meet her."

"Why?"

"Because, Gina used to be my partner… and Jes should get to know a bit about my time in Vice."

"Whatever, man. It'll be your funeral if Gina puts the moves on you." Jay headed to Erin's vehicle.

Antonio just shrugged it off and headed to his car.

* * *

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* * *

"So," Jes was finishing a health lesson to the teen girls of P2K. "if you guys ever have questions… or you're worried about something… don't be afraid to come see me. I do remember what it's like to be a teen. Don't let anyone tell you what to do with your body. It's yours. It's up to you to take care of it." She smiled. "Now, I think it's snack time."

The group broke up and headed to the foods area to get their snack. Gaby approached Jes. "Nice speech."

"I taught sex ed. enough times to know what to say. These girls need to know that it's not just on them when it comes to protection… and they need to know that they have someone they can talk to that won't judge them."

"I agree. I wish we had had that growing up. A lot fewer girls would've resorted to abortions and stuff." Gaby sighed. "So, Sylvie and I are all set up for those first aid classes. We can be here for the next three days."

"Good. I've got about 60 kids that wanna do it." Jes said. "It's more than what I was thinking would wanna take it."

"Well, three groups of 20. Can't be more than that." Gaby said. "You hear from Antonio at all?"

"No. Should I have?"

"They caught a bad one. Uh, second shift told us that they just pulled a box truck out of the river. A dad and little boy were inside… tied up and gagged. They were frozen to the floor."

Jes' hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God!"

Gaby nodded. "Not a pretty picture. They're after a psychopath."

"Lovely. Just what Antonio needed after yesterday."

"Yeah. I still don't see why he didn't take the day off… be with you." Gaby helped Jes stack some of the chairs.

"He can't take too much time off… he wants to have enough vacation days and personal days for the wedding and the baby…"

"Ah. Makes sense. At least, Voight forced Kevin to take a week off to spend with Jacquie." Gaby grinned.

"Yep. They're headed up to a cabin for a week. They want to get away from everything."

"When do they leave?"

"Tomorrow. They had a doctor's appointment."

"Ah." Gaby said. "Well, I just hope this case doesn't mess with Antonio too badly."

"Jay's there and Hank… they'll pull him back from the ledge." Jes put her hand on her lower back and groaned.

"Well, yeah… but Antonio and these cases… they take their toll because of the kids."

"I get it." Jes looked around the room. "Is this enough for the first aid class?"

Gaby nodded. "Yep. More than enough."

"Well, I'll get the first group in here. Good luck." Jes hugged Gaby. "Thanks again for doing this."

"Anything to keep these kids out of the streets." Gaby smiled. "You should go rest. You look beat."

* * *

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* * *

They had found the truck. Antonio was disgusted at how someone could do that to a child. He went back to his car and couldn't wait to get back to the District. He was thankful that Al and Adam were doing the notification. This wasn't going to be an easy one. Erin and Hank had gone back to Med to get more information out of the original suspect, Nick Vosh. He didn't envy that guy when Voight got his hands on him. He had to call Gina and give her the update. Jay was busy going through Vosh's previous arrests in the hopes of finding some information on his partner. Antonio poured himself some coffee and headed back to his desk. Just as he sat down, his phone began to ring. "Dawson."

"Antonio, we've got an address… we're coming to get you and Jay." Voight said. "I need you to pull out your alter ego from vice. You're going under to spot him. He's at a Motel on Ogden. The rest of us will wait in the car."

"Got it." Antonio hung up the phone. "Hey, Jay! We got him."

"Where?"

"Voight and Erin are coming to get us. I gotta change."

"You going undercover?"

Antonio nodded. "I guess. I can blend into the scene at the motel."

"Alright, well change. I'll wait for them downstairs."

Antonio headed into the locker room and stripped down. He pulled on his beat up jeans and put on his belt. He groaned. He wasn't going to be home early tonight. He would have to call Jes from the car. He then pulled on his old, grubby white t-shirt and a beige sweatshirt. The pulled out his army surplus jacket and put it on. He grabbed the black toque from the top shelf. He looked in the mirror. He took out his diamond stud and put it and his dog tags in the box in his locker. He exchanged the stud for a pair of silver ring earrings. He hadn't worn these since his time undercover with Vice. He took his gloves and headed to meet Jay in the garage.

"Here." Jay handed him a can in a brown paper bag.

"What is it?"

"Sweet tea. You can pass it off as beer." Jay zipped up his jacket. "They're here."

Antonio followed Jay to Voight's Escalade. They hopped in the back and held on as Voight sped off to the motel.

They arrived at the Cindy Lyn Motel on West Odgen in about 15 minutes. Hank parked around the corner from the hotel to still have eyes on the place. Antonio got out and stumbled towards the hotel. He was going to stay on the payphone and act as if he was on the phone with his girl. He took small sips of the sweet tea. He watched as more than one john went by him with a prostitute. He shook his head. "I should call Vice when we're done, have them come get their quotas for the month."

"First things first." Voight answered over Antonio's ear piece.

"Got stats on Miko." Erin's voice followed.

Antonio listened as she went through Miko's rap sheet. He shook his head. This guy was one nut job. He saw someone rounding the corner that seemed to match Miko's height and weight. To keep up with his roll he started talking. He hoped that the team got the hint. "Baby, she means nothing to me. I'm telling you. Come back to the room tonight." He took another sip of the sweet tea. Miko passed right by him. Once he was out of ear shot, Antonio told the team. "It's him." He was waiting for Voight to tell him what room Miko had gone into.

"Room 23." Voight's gravelly voice came over his earpiece.

Antonio hung up the pay phone and put the sweet tea can down on the pay phone. He carefully and quietly made his way to the stairs leading to the second level of the motel.

Voight's voice came over his ear piece. "We've been made."

Antonio was about halfway up the stairs when the shots rang out. He pulled the women on the stairs out of the line of fire. "Get down! Police! Get down!" He watched as Miko headed for one of the balconies. He turned back and headed for the back of the motel. Miko had jumped down and Antonio tackled him into the dumpster as soon as he got up. Antonio ripped the bag of money out of MIko's hands and took a punch right to face. He stumbled back, regained his orientation and punched Miko rapid-fire style in the face. Miko crashed into the fence. Antonio thought he had him, but Miko came out him. He ducked Antonio's punches and grabbed Antonio around the waist and tossed him onto the hood of a parked car. Antonio was winded and just laid there. Jay ran at Miko and decked him in the jaw. Miko fell back.

Jay swung his shotgun around. "Don't move! Stay down!"

Voight came through the gate and looked to Antonio, who had slid off the hood of the car and was trying to catch his breath. "You okay?"

Antonio nodded. "I'll live." He was hurting. He could feel some blood running down his cheek. He knew he'd have some explaining to do to Jes when she saw him.

Voight bent down and picked up the bag and unzipped it. "Ooo. What's this?"

"I found it under my bed." Miko spat.

"Lucky you." Voight snickered.

"You gonna read me my rights, Officer?"

Voight laughed. "You got the wrong guy." He turned to Erin and Jay. "Book him."

* * *

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* * *

When they got back to the District, Jay took Antonio to get cleaned up and bandaged. Erin and Voight took Miko for questioning.

"You okay, 'Tonio?" Jay asked as he used alcohol wipes to clean up Antonio's cuts.

Antonio winced. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Your sister's gonna rip me a new one."

"Gee… I wonder why?" Jay smirked. "Come on, man. You're gonna have to be more careful. You got a baby on the way. I don't want Jes to have to raise the kids alone."

"Hey, he hit me." Antonio grimaced as Jay cleaned the worst cut under his left eye. "If he would've just come along quietly… we wouldn't have had this problem."

Jay just laughed. "When has a suspect ever come along quietly?"

Antonio shrugged.

"My point exactly. Now hold still." Jay grabbed a couple of Steri-strips and closed the cut under his eye. "Just make sure you tell Jes that I saved your ass out there."

"Yeah, yeah." Antonio looked in the mirror. He had been worse for wear and a new scar would just add to his rugged charm. His busted lip however was probably going to be more annoying than anything.

The door to locker room swung open. Erin stormed in. "He can go to lock up. You guys better take him, because I'll kill that son-of-a-bitch."

Jay nodded and he and Antonio went to drag Miko to a holding cell. When they got to the cells, Jay shoved Miko in.

Antonio shut the door. "Too bad you missed chow. But I hear they have great oatmeal over at 26th and Cal." Antonio clicked his tongue and winked at him. "Sleep tight."

They headed back upstairs to file paperwork and Antonio had to call Gina to let her know that Miko was in custody. Jay and Antonio were about halfway through their incident reports on this case when Platt came upstairs and headed straight into Voight's office with Burgess and Roman on her tail.

Antonio looked to Jay. "What's that all about?"

Jay shrugged. "No clue, but it can't be good."

Antonio sighed. Jay was right. It was not going to be good at all.

Within minutes they got the news that Miko had snapped another prisoner's neck and took his identity. He was now back out on the streets. Antonio pounded his fist on his desk. Jay grabbed his gun and holster and clipped them back to his belt. It was going to be a long night. Voight was going to take Al to go question Vosh again. Once they had information, the team would be ready to roll out to that location. The rest of the patrolmen would be assigned to search grids to try and find Miko. An city wide search was on.

Antonio and Adam were together as part of the grid search, while Jay and Erin took another grid. They got the call that Miko had gone to Vosh's dad's apartment to get his cut. They booked it to the location and vested up. They didn't know if Miko was armed or not, but it didn't matter. The guy was plain loco and they didn't know what he was capable of. They headed up to second floor to Vosh's dad's apartment, Jay and Adam with the long guns in the lead. They got in and saw that Miko had done a number of Vosh's dad. They cleared the apartment and checked on Mr. Vosh. Jay had to break the news to Mr. Vosh that his son was part of a robbery crew while Adam alerted the rest of the officers that Miko was still there somewhere.

Roman came over the radio saying they were in the basement and Miko had shot and killed a guard. The team raced down the stairs to assist. They knew what Miko was capable of, and they weren't about to lose any officers tonight. Jay and Erin took Roman down one of the hallways while Adam and Antonio took Burgess down the other. They were going to get this monster, dead or alive.

Antonio, Ruzek and Burgess were in the hallway on the other side of the boiler room when Miko opened fire on them. Ruzek pushed Burgess behind him. He didn't want her getting shot again. Once had been more than enough for him in this life. They returned fire against him. Adam laid down cover fire while Burgess and Antonio moved forward. They called out on the radio that he was headed outside. The whole team was chasing after him. They were just coming out when Miko ran head on into Voight's SUV which was coming to a stop.

Antonio holstered his gun and kicked Miko in the gut, sending him flying to the ground. Antonio wailed on him. He wasn't going to let this asshole get the jump on him again. He flipped Miko over and cuffed him. "Tight enough for you?" Antonio growled as he dragged him to a waigtin squad car.

When they got back to the district, the press and a crowd were waiting for them. Burgess pulled Miko out.

Voight walked up to him, smiling. "Welcome back."

"I got out once. I can do it again." Miko smirked.

Voight just chuckled to himself. _Not this time._ He thought to himself.

A person wearing a bulky parka walked up to Miko and shot him in the chest. Everyone in the area took cover. Voight and Al tackled the hooded figure while Burgess and Roman dealt with Miko's very dead body. Al was in shock to see that it was Mrs. Normack, the manager of the last cheque exchange that was robbed. Al and Ruzek led her to interrogation while the others did crowd control until the M.E. could come pick up Miko's body.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio called Jes. "Hey, baby."

"Hey." Jes said. "You okay?"

"It was a long case."

"I saw the news."

"Oh." Antonio paused. "I'm fine… so is Jay."

"Is it true that the manager from their last robbery shot him?"

Antonio sighed. "Yeah."

"That poor woman."

"Yeah. Al and Adam are staying with her until they can get her into a holding cell. I don't want to be the judge in that case. The bastard got what he deserved."

"I thought you were supposed to be impartial, Detective?"

"I'm off the clock." Antonio replied. "Look, one of my old partners from Vice was on this case in Robbery-Homocide. I'd like you to come join us for drinks. I really want you to meet her."

"Uh, sure." Jes said. "The kids are in bed already. Where you gonna be?"

Antonio rattled off the address. "See you soon."

"Love you."

"Love you too, Jes." Antonio hung up the phone and went to change.

* * *

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* * *

He arrived at the same time as Gina. He knew that it would take Jes longer to arrive as this was further south than the District. They ordered some wine and appetizers. They were reminiscing about their days in Vice when Gina took his hand.

"Gina?"

"Come on, Antonio. You know you want this." She smiled and leaned in.

Antonio didn't have a chance to say anything before Gina was kissing her. He was shock. He just froze.

Jes walked into the restaurant and stopped dead in her tracks. Antonio was seated at a table in the centre of the restaurant. He was there with a very attractive Latina. Her jaw dropped when she saw the other woman lean in and kiss him. She called his name as he put his hands on the woman's shoulders. "Antonio!"

Antonio pulled away and saw Jes standing by the doorway. "Jes! Baby… no… this…" He got up. Jes spun on her heel and booked it out of the restaurant. Antonio turned to Gina. "What the fuck was that?"

Gina licked her lip. "Uh… you're seeing someone?"

"Seriously? I'm engaged, Gina!" He grabbed his jacket and took off after Jes. "Jeslyn! Babe!"

Jes heard Antonio calling after her but didn't turn back. She didn't want to stop. She didn't want to hear any of his lies. She hopped in her Journey and sped off into the night.

Antonio chased after her until he was out of breath. He collapsed to his knees. "Jes!" He cried out. It was no use. She was gone.

* * *

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* * *

 ** _A/N: So... what do you think? What's going to happen next? Let me know! Love y'all! Nicole_**


	32. Keep On Lovin' You

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* * *

Jes drove as the tears streamed down her face. How could he? She thought, that with everything they had been through, their relationship was rock solid. Then, he's kissing some woman he used to work with? "What the fuck?!" She pounded against the steering wheel. "How could he do that to me?" One hand flew to her belly. "To us?" She wept harder as she drove through Ravenswood. She parked in Jacquie's driveway and killed the engine. It was pouring rain. She ran to the front door and rang the doorbell incessantly.

"Coming! Jesus Christ!" Jacquie's voice barked. "Hold your goddamned horses!" The door swung open. "What the fuck… Jes?! Why… why are you crying… in the pouring rain?!" Jacquie pulled her into the house. "What's going on? You're gonna catch pneumonia out there." She called to Kevin. "Kev! Bring me a towel and a blanket… now!"

There were loud footsteps that echoed down the stairs. "What's going… Jes?" Kevin came to a halt. "What the hell? Where's Antonio?"

Just hearing his name sent Jes into a tailspin. She collapsed to her knees and wept. Jacquie and Kevin turned to each other. They had no clue what was going on but they weren't going to get anything out of her in the middle of their doorway. Kevin picked Jes up as if she weighed nothing and brought her to the family room. Jacquie closed and locked the door and quickly followed them.

Kevin handed Jacquie the towel. "Dry her off… I'm gonna go get her a change of clothes. She's soaked. She can't get sick… not being pregnant like she is."

Jacquie nodded. "Yeah… and uh… whatever you do… don't call Antonio… not until I get her to talk to me." She whispered.

"You sure about that?"

Jacquie glared at him. "Just… let me get her to talk…"

"Okay, you're the boss." Kevin headed to go and grab some of his clothes that could potentially fit Jes. At least until her clothes was dried.

Jacquie began to dry Jes' hair and got her out of her wet clothes. She wrapped Jes tightly in the blanket. Kevin handed Jacquie the clothes and went to the kitchen to make some herbal tea. This gave time for Jacquie to get Jes dressed in something dry. Jes was in catatonic state. She couldn't, or wouldn't speak. She just shook and wept.

"Jes, sweetie… It's just you and me… talk to me." Jacquie tried to get Jes to open up. "You gotta say something. You're scaring me."

Jes' lips quivered as she said. "He kissed her!"

Jacquie's eyes widened. "Who kissed who?"

"Antonio… he kissed… that… Gina… that… he… he … used to… work… with!" Jes bawled. The sobs caused her whole body to shake.

"Antonio… kissed another woman?" Jacquie was in shock. That didn't sound like Antonio, but then again, who knew anymore.

Jes nodded furiously. "She's… prettier… than… me…" Her breathing was ragged from the sobs. "She's not… pregnant… and fat!"

Jacquie pulled Jes into her arms and held her tightly. "Shh…. Shh… It's gonna be okay… we're… um… we'll get through this… you need to breathe… it's not good for you or the baby if you don't."

Jes closed her eyes and began to focus on her breathing. Jacquie just rubbed her back to try and get her to calm down. She heard Kevin approaching.

"I brought that herbal tea, y'all like." He said softly. "So… umm… what… what can I do?"

Jacquie took the tea and handed it to Jes. "Here, drink this. It'll help warm you up. I'm gonna talk to Kevin… okay… we'll just be in the kitchen."

"Okay." Jes whispered. She took the tea and took a small sip.

Jacquie took Kevin's arm and half dragged him to the kitchen. "Antonio kissed another woman."

"I don't buy that." Kevin whispered. "He loves Jes… she's his world."

"I've known her most of my life… I believe her."

"Well, what are we going to do about this?"

"I'm calling her brother."

"Jay?" Kevin checked to make sure Jes was still in the family room. "You seriously gonna call her big brother and tell her that her fiancé supposedly kissed another woman."

"Well, I'm not about to call said fiancé and have him come her and upset her to the point of going into labour." Jacquie snapped. "Give me your phone."

"Jacquie." Kevin said. "Come on."

"Now." She glared at him.

Kevin knew better than to piss off a pregnant woman, especially when that woman was his wife. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna go make sure that 'Nessa is still sleeping."

Jacquie took the phone and nodded. "Then, go make sure that she's okay… or as okay as she can be." After Kevin was gone, Jacquie scrolled through his contacts to find Jay. She clicked on his name and waited while the phone rang.

"Atwater? I thought you were supposed to be on your honeymoon." Jay said.

"We would be… except your sister just showed up on my doorstep as an emotional wreck."

"Jacquie!" Jay exclaimed. "Wait… Jes is at your place?"

"Yeah… she is."

"She was supposed to be out with Antonio and his…"

"A woman that he kissed!" Jacquie interrupted him.

There was thump from the other end, followed by an extensive string of cursing. Jay came back on the line. "What do you mean he kissed?"

"Jes said when she got to the restaurant, Antonio was kissing this woman. She's very pretty and as your sister puts it 'prettier than me and not pregnant and fat'. She called her Gina."

"Son of a BITCH!" Jay's voice caused Jacquie to jump, pulling the phone away from her ear.

"Yeah… how about you don't kill my ears. I'm just the messenger." Jacquie snarled. "She needs someone and I'm not about to call him."

"I'll be right there." Jay said. "Don't let her go anywhere… and don't let Antonio know where she is."

"I'm not about to help that bastard hurt my best friend. I've picked up the pieces once already… not about to do it again… not this time. I'm not hiding anything from you. No matter what."

"I'll be there in 10. I'm coming with sirens and all… you make sure she stays as calm as possible. If not for herself at least for the baby."

"We're on it." Jacquie ended the call and headed back to the family room.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was still on his knees as the rain began to pour. He didn't move. He couldn't move. He was certain that he'd just ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him. He flinched as he heard Gina's voice calling to him.

"Antonio! Antonio!" She ran up to him and tried to pull him up off the street.

He pushed her away. "This is your fault!" He growled. "You did this!"

Gina took a step back. "Antonio… I… I didn't… I didn't think…"

"No shit!" Antonio jumped to his feet. "You didn't think. You never asked me anything past my divorce!"

"Antonio, come on."

"No, Gina. I'm engaged… you just kissed me in front of the woman I love… the woman who is carrying my CHILD!" Antonio smacked her hand away as he stormed off to his truck and headed out to try and find Jes.

* * *

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* * *

Jay bolted from Erin's car and up the driveway to Jacquie and Kevin's house. He pounded on the door. "Jacquie! Kevin!"

Kevin opened the door. "Jay… you got here quick, man."

"It's my sister, Kev. Where is she?" He whipped off his jacket and took off his shoes. As important as this was, he didn't want to trash Jacquie and Kevin's place either.

"Family room." Kevin said. "It's bad, man… Jacquie just started to get her to calm down."

"Has Antonio tried to come find her?"

Kevin shook his head. "No. I won't call him and neither will Jacquie…"

"Good. He shows up, you kick his ass outta here." Jay ordered as he headed to the family room to check on Jes. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her bundled up on the couch.

She looked like a lost child. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear. Her makeup was smeared all over her face and she was quivering. "Jay!" She exclaimed upon seeing him.

Jay ran to her and hugged her tightly. "I'm here, sis. I'm here." He rubbed her back. "I'm here."

"He kissed her, Jay." Her voice was almost child-like. "He kissed… her!"

He kissed the top of her head. "I know. I heard. I'm sorry."

"What's so…hic… special about her?" Jes' words were being broken up by the hiccups.

"She's… I don't know." Jay said. "I really don't know."

"Why was she even there? Why didn't he just come home? Why did he want me to meet this other woman!?" Jes' began to sob again. The rest of what she tried to say came out garbled as she buried her face in Jay's t-shirt.

Jay didn't know what to say. He began to gently rock back and forth. Antonio was going to pay for this. One way or another, he would pay for breaking Jes' heart.

Jacquie was sitting on the edge of the loveseat when Jes' cell began to ring. Fearing it was Antonio, Jacquie grabbed the phone. "Hijo de la gran puta! What the fuck to you want, you… you pendejo?!" She shouted into the phone.

"Whoa!" Gaby's voice came over the line. "Who's a pendejo? Why are you calling my mother a whore?"

"Shit." Jacquie groaned.

Jay looked to Jacquie. 'What?' He mouthed.

"Hi Gaby." Jacquie said. "Sorry. I thought… I thought you were Antonio."

"Why exactly are you calling Antonio all those names?"

Jay snatched the phone out of Jacquie's hand. "Gaby? It's Jay."

"Jay, what the hell is going on? Where are Jes and Antonio? They were supposed to be home… I'm watching the kids… but I gotta work tomorrow."

"You know a Gina Gawronski?" Jay asked.

"Yeah… she used to work Vice."

"Well, long story short… she came in to help us with the box truck case… Antonio wanted Jes to meet her… Jes got to the restaurant and those two were locking lips. Now, I'm trying to comfort my sister before I go and kill your brother."

"What?!" Gaby exclaimed. "I don't buy it."

"Well, it's what Jes saw and what she's been bawling about for the last hour."

"Does 'Tonio even know where you guys are?"

"No, and I'm not about to let him near her." Jay said. "Not after this."

"Jay, Gina's had a thing for my brother since they got into Vice. Didn't matter if he was married or if she was married. She's one of those women that wants what she can't have."

"You're telling me that this has happened before?"

Gaby sighed. "Yeah… back when Diego was a baby… she was a newlywed and she was still trying to get it on with Antonio."

"Hmph." Jay grunted. "Well, that may be true… but right now, Jes wants nothing to do with him."

"But the kids… the baby…"

"I don't know, Gaby. I really don't fucking know." Jay sighed. "Look, if he comes home… don't tell him you know… and don't tell him where she is."

"Jay… they're adults… they don't need you playing games in their relationship."

"He breaks my little sister's heart… and she's carrying his child… what I did to him in the boxing ring back in October is going to be child's play to what I'll do now."

"Jay… you're blowing this out of proportion." Gaby attempted to reason with him but she knew that it wasn't going to work.

"No. Gaby… if you don't want Antonio to die tonight, you'll make sure he stays home with the kids."

"What about Jes?"

"I can take care of my sister now. I should've been doing that all along instead of believing Antonio when he said that he wasn't interested in that broad."

"Jay…"

"Good night, Gaby." He ended the call and turned off the phone. "Are her clothes dry?"

Jacquie nodded. "I'll get 'em."

"Jes, we're gonna get you changed and I'm taking you home."

"No… I'm not going back there." Jes stammered. "I can't… I just… I can't."

"No… not your home… my home. I'll take you to my house… you'll be safe. I won't let him hurt you anymore." He kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Jay." She whispered. Her voice was raw from the crying.

"I love you too, Jes. Always." He left to let Jacquie help her get dressed again.

"Here, take these." Jacquie handed him a bag. "It's some spare clothes until you can get her her own stuff back."

"Thanks." Jay took the bag. "I'll keep you in the loop."

"Thanks… just… before killing him… try to get his side."

"Why?" Jay arched an eyebrow.

"Because… he deserves the chance to tell the truth… I heard what Gaby said… if she was that way then… what's not to say that she still isn't that way now."

"Fine… but he's not going to win Jes back that easily… she's broken… and I don't know if I can bring her back." Jay could feel the tears building up. "I can't see her like this."

"I know." Jacquie touched his arm. "She needs you right now… just take care of her and the baby… I'd rather they work this out than have those kids get caught in another custody battle."

"Shit." Jay had forgotten about that. Now that Jes was legally their mother, this was a whole hell of a lot messier.

"Jay." Jes whispered from the doorway.

"Yeah."

"What about my car?"

"We'll take it. My car is at the district and Erin drove me here. It's gonna be okay."

"I don't think I can drive." She said.

"I'll drive. Don't… don't stress, okay. I've got you." Jay took her hand. "Let's go… try and not get too wet."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio drove home, praying to find Jes there. When he arrived, his heart sunk. Her Journey was nowhere to be found. He tried calling her cell and it kept going to voicemail. It was off and there was no way for him to track her. He went into the house to change and then he'd keep looking for her. He wasn't going to lose her that easily. He couldn't. The stakes were too high now. He walked in the door and was shocked when his face came into contact with a fist. He stumbled backwards. "Coño!"

"You deserve that." Gaby stepped out of the shadows.

"What the fuck, sis?" He rubbed his jaw. "Damn."

"I know what you did."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Gina. Really, Antonio… of all the people you used to be partnered with… it had to be her today."

"How did…?"

"How did I find out?" Gaby crossed her arms. "Well, let's see. I called Jes trying to find out when the hell you'd be home so I can go home and sleep because I work tomorrow. Only thing is, she didn't answer her phone. I got ripped into by Jacquie and Jay. Then Jay tells me that Jes caught Gina KISSING you!" She slapped him. "How dare you, Antonio!? How dare you?" She went to slap him again.

Antonio grabbed her wrist. "Enough!" He looked to make sure the kids weren't woken up. "Come here." He led her to the kitchen. "Gina kissed me… I pushed her away."

"Not what Jes is saying."

"Gina kissed me. Yes." Antonio groaned. "Jes saw that. What she didn't see was me pushing her away."

"Well, right now… a lot of people are siding with her. Jay says Gina was all over you during that case."

"Jay has a big mouth."

"Jay has a reason to be pissed right now. He's trusting his sister to you… you! His sister's heart is broken… she's pregnant… and all of this is your fault." She poked him in the chest.

"Where is she?"

"I'm not about to tell you."

"Why the hell not!? She's my fiancée."

"By the sounds of it… more like ex-fiancée." Gaby glared at him.

Antonio's reply was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Gaby took off to the door and screeched. "Chopa! Mama guevo!"

Antonio rushed to see what the hell was going on. When he got there, Gaby had Gina pinned under her and was wailing on her. Antonio grabbed Gaby's arms and pinned them behind her back. "As much as I love watching a good old fashioned pleito de chopa… I'm not in the mood… so BOTH OF YOU CUT IT OUT!" He bellowed. He looked to Gina. Her face was bloodied. Gaby had obviously busted her nose. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I came to…" She coughed and spat out some blood. "Apologize."

Gaby struggled against Antonio's grasp. "Let me at her!"

"Gabriela! Enough! Calmate!" Antonio squeezed her arms tighter. "Just… enough." He turned back to Gina. "I don't want to hear it. I swear… if something happens to Jes or my child… It's on you. I never want to see you again. Now, leave."

Gina slowly got up. "Antonio."

"Now, Gina. Before I let Gaby finish what she started."

Gina's eyes grew with fear. She picked up her purse and fled into the rain.

Antonio let Gaby go. "You okay?"

"You stopped me." She snapped.

"Damn straight I did. I may not like her or her tactics… but I sure as fuck don't need another murder scene in my house. I'm surprised the kids aren't up."

"They probably are… and they're probably doing like we used to when we were younger." Gaby pointed to the stairs. "Listening at the top of the stair case."

Sure enough, there was a patter of feet headed back to the kids' bedrooms.

Antonio groaned. "Great. Just… this is just fucking great."

"You brought this on yourself, 'Tonio." Gaby said. "You knew what she was like back then… you really think she was gonna change?"

"I wasn't thinking that." Antonio said. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking anymore."

* * *

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* * *

Jay finally got Jes to sleep. It had taken a long time. He looked to his watch. It was well after 4 am. He sighed. Thankfully, the next couple days were off shift which meant he had time to figure this shit out. He pulled out his computer and logged into the CPD files. He needed to know more about this Gina. He was surprised to discover that Antonio had reported on more than one occasion for making advances on him. Jay kept reading. He wasn't going to sleep. Not until he knew for sure that Jes was going to be okay. He made himself some coffee and contemplated calling Antonio. Jacquie had had a good point. Jes and Antonio were adults, and they would need to make their own choices. It was just hard for him to accept that his baby sister was hurting and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He groaned and put the files away. He went to check on Jes. She was sound asleep in his bed. She wouldn't sleep in the guest room, and Jay wasn't going to argue with her. She was about 6 months into the pregnancy now. She needed stability. She needed things to be as routine as possible so as to prevent any complications with the baby. He went to the kitchen and picked up his cell phone. He saw that there were about 20 texts from Antonio. He groaned. _'Why did this shit have to go down on April Fool's Day?'_ He hit Antonio's contact in his phone and let it ring.

"Jay!" Antonio's voice was almost booming on the phone.

"'Tonio… tone it down." Jay whispered harshly. "Or else I end this call."

Antonio calmed down a little. "Where is she?"

"She's safe."

"That's not what I asked you, Jay."

"I'm not giving more than that right now." Jay answered. "My sister is safe and that is all you need to know."

"She's my…"

"You're what? Huh, Antonio?" Jay snapped. "She told me what happened!"

"You not gonna listen to my side?"

"I will, but I ain't doing this on the phone. I ain't letting you near her until I know she's wanting you near her and she is going to be okay with it."

"Fine. Where?"

"You know where." Jay ended the call. He wrote Jes a note and called Erin. "Hey, Erin… I need your help. Pick me up and I'll explain the rest on the way." He grabbed his coat, badge and gun. He didn't know exactly how tonight, well this morning, was going to end, but he did know that Jes deserved the best and that was all that mattered.

Erin showed up within 5 minutes. "Jay, what the hell is going on around here?" She pulled out from the curb. "I've got Antonio calling me looking for you. Kevin called me not to tell him anything. Seriously… what the fuck?!"

"Gina… the one from the case with Bunny."

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She tried to put the moves on Antonio earlier… then they went for drinks and Jes was meeting them. When she got there, Gina was kissing Antonio… or that's what he's telling me… Jes saw it as he's kissing Gina."

Erin was speechless. She just shook her head. "Okay… so where are we going?"

"Matador's. He isn't going near Jes… not until I'm done with him." Jay cracked his knuckles.

Erin sighed. "Okay." She pulled into Matador's parking lot. "Want me to come inside?"

Jay nodded. "Just to keep me from killing him right off the bat."

"Okay. I got your back." Erin touched his arm. "Just… take my advice… listen to him before you go kicking his ass."

"I'll try, but Erin… you didn't see the look on Jes' face… or hear her cry… I can't forgive him for that."

"I know, Jay. I get that, but after everything they've been through… I think you need to play doctor and not executioner."

"Okay." Jay sighed. He leaned over and kissed Erin. "Thank you."

"What else are partners for? We're here to keep each other from going over the ledge."

Jay nodded and got out of the car. He headed into Matador's. Antonio wasn't there yet, but he knew it wouldn't be long before her got there. So, Jay sat on the steps of the boxing ring and waited in the shadows. Erin stood off in the corner. She wasn't going to act on anything. She was just there to keep Jay from going off the deep end.

The doors opened and Antonio walked into gym. "Jay?"

"I'm here, Antonio." Jay's voice cracked.

Antonio flipped on the lights over the ring. He stopped when he saw Jay sitting on the steps of the ring. "Jay…" He took a few cautious steps forward. "Are you hear to listen? Or to kill me?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"If you're gonna tell me the truth or if you're gonna lie to me."

Antonio reached to his waist and pulled his gun. "Here."

Jay looked to him. "Why? I have my own." He fingered his own weapon.

"I told you… If I ever hurt Jes, you could shoot me with my own gun." He held it out towards Jay. "So, here. If you think that I would really sleep with another woman… after everything Jes and I have been through… and when she's carrying my baby… adopted my other two children… if you really think that I would do that to her, then take it and pull the goddamned trigger!" Antonio fell to his knees. "I swear to God, Jay… on the lives of my kids… of my unborn child… I didn't nor would I ever do that to Jes."

Jay took Antonio's gun and put it with his own on the mat. "Antonio… what happened?" He was focusing on his breathing. "Details."

Antonio sighed, falling back on the ground. He pulled his knees to his chest. "I met Gina at the restaurant. Jes was on her way. She waited for Gaby to get to the house before leaving. She got there when Gina and I were reminiscing over an old case we had during our Vice days. Gina kissed me. I was in shock. I froze… then I heard Jes and I pushed Gina away." Antonio cried. "I went after her. I told Gina to stay the hell away."

"Then what."

"I went looking for her. I went home. Gaby hit me and ripped me a new one. Then, to make things worse… Gina showed up. Gaby got to her and initiated a cat fight. I broke it up and told Gina to stay the fuck away from me, from Jes and from my family. I told her if she didn't, I'd let Gaby finish what she started. She took off."

Jay looked to Erin. She nodded. She knew what Jay wanted her to do. He never had to say a word. She snuck off into the night. She'd get to the bottom of this. Even if it wasn't what she'd personally do, but it's what Jay wanted.

"Antonio." Jay got up. "I wanna believe you, man. But she's my sister. I've never seen her hurt so bad… not since…"

Antonio knew what he meant. Not since he saw her in the hospital all those years back. "Jay, do what you want with me… but I can't lose your sister."

"Get up." Jay said. He was pissed, but after working with Antonio for all these years, he knew when Antonio was telling the truth. Now was one of those times. "Antonio… I believe you… but I'm still pissed."

"You have every right to be." Antonio said, wiping the tears from his cheeks. He stood up and stood tall.

Jay got up and walked over to Antonio. He wound up and gave a strong left cross across his face. Antonio barely flinched. He stood his ground. Jay came at him again, this time with a trio of punches. "Why? Why didn't you believe me?!" Jay shouted. "I told you that woman was nothin' but trouble!"

Antonio stumbled back. His hand instinctively went to his jaw. It was throbbing and he was pretty sure that if Gaby hadn't broken his nose, Jay definitely had. He nodded weakly. He swore he was seeing stars. He backed into a stool and sat on it. "You were right." He whispered. He spat some blood onto the floor. He knew he'd be cleaning this place up anyhow.

"Antonio… Jes is a wreck." Jay rubbed his knuckles. "I mean a complete wreck. She was incoherent from the time she got to Jacquie's until I finally managed to get her to sleep an hour ago."

"Jay… I gotta fix this. I have to tell her the truth."

"I don't know if she'll listen. She's pretty adamant about not wanting anything to do with you."

"Jay, please." Antonio pleaded. "I can't lose her. I can't do that to the kids… and I don't want that baby to grow up without its father."

"I don't want that either. Look, 'Tonio, I know how much she means to you. You took bullets for her. It's not something that I can overlook, but as many people have pointed out to me in the last few hours, she's a grown woman who makes her own decisions."

"Jacquie tell you that?" Antonio asked.

"And Kevin, and Gaby, and Erin." Jay sighed. "I'll try to get her to listen, but I can't guarantee anything."

"That's all I'm asking." Antonio sighed. "Where is she?"

"With me. She's at my place right now."

"Did she go straight there?"

Jay shook his head. "She went to Jacquie first."

Antonio punched the wall next to him. "FUCK! Why didn't I go there first?"

"Because you were thinking she'd go home." Jay said. The anger he had felt was gone. All he saw was a broken man who just made a bad call in judgement.

"Where'd Erin go?"

"To, uh… yeah… I'm just gonna say, get outta here. Go home. Be with the kids. I'll talk to her when she wakes up." He patted Antonio on the shoulder. "Uh… sorry about… the uh…"

"I deserved it, Jay. I'm the one who should be apologizing." Antonio groaned as he moved his jaw around.

"Save it for Jes. Now… get home to the kids… you're gonna have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know. Thanks, Jay."

"Just, promise me, Antonio, that when she listens to you and you guys make up… don't let any old girlfriends, old female partners… none of them in your life… she's 6 months pregnant. She doesn't need this shit."

"I won't. Done deal." Antonio promised.

Jay hugged him. "Go tell the kids that Uncle Jay is working to get their mom home, okay?"

Antonio nodded and left. Jay turned and went back to sit on the steps. He saw Antonio's gun. "Fuck." Jay groaned. He grabbed the gun and ran after Antonio. "'Tonio… you'll be needing this."

Antonio stopped and turned. "Thanks, Jay."

"Just fix this, 'Tonio. Please." Jay pleaded. "I can't take this anymore."

Antonio hopped in his truck and took off. Jay headed back inside to wait for Erin. It wasn't long before she appeared with Gina in tow.

"Let go of me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I hurting you?" Erin shoved her forward. She looked to Jay. "She was a little uncooperative."

"A little, huh?" Jay grinned. "Thanks."

"What the hell do you two want?" Gina crossed her arms. "The case is over, I sure as hell don't have anything else that Intelligence could need." Her voice shook despite her act of courage.

"She thinks this is for a case." Erin laughed.

Jay snickered. "Gina, this has nothing to do with the job."

"Then what the hell could you possibly want with me at 6 in the morning."

"You tried to get involved with the wrong cop, sweetheart." Erin said mockingly. "See, Antonio's off the market. Has been for almost a year."

"I got that… he's… wait… a year?" Gina's jaw dropped.

"Gina, are you part ostrich?" Jay crossed his arms. "Because the only way you wouldn't know any of this is if you lived with your fucking head in the sand."

"Maybe she's been living under a rock." Erin suggested.

"Know what?!" Gina exclaimed.

"That Antonio's dating my baby sister." Jay said. "That he's been dating her since she came back to Chicago last year. She's the one who caught you kissing him at the restaurant. She's 6 months pregnant. Something happens to that baby… I hold you responsible."

Gina took a step back and fell to her ass. "She's your sister."

Jay nodded. "Yeah. My little sister. She adopted Antonio's kids. She's carrying his baby. Then she sees you trying to get in her fiancé's pants. What you did to her… is INEXCUSABLE!"

"I didn't know." Gina whimpered.

"Bullshit! My sister has been making headlines since coming back to Chicago. First, opening a youth centre that's gotten hundreds of kids off the streets… then she helped bring down the Colombian Cartel… during which she and Antonio were seriously injured. It's all over the news, local and international."

"I… I…"

"You what… thought you could win him over with your sleazy ways? Expected him to just forget the life he had to move on to you?" Erin snipped. "Seriously? We know your rep… we know you've been trying to get him since you were both in Vice."

"We also know about his complaints against you to the Ivory Tower." Jay added. "You wanna keep your badge… or you wanna lose it for harassing a fellow detective and his family?"

Gina's lips quivered. "I… I…"

"You will leave my sister and Antonio alone. You're not gonna get involved with them in any which way… a case comes up where you'd have to work with us… you hand it off. Don't care what you tell them, but the next time I see you… you aren't walking out of here." Jay glared at her. "She's here to be a witness to that."

"Jay…"

"NO! You could've ruined a perfectly good family tonight… you don't get to say anything!" Jay grabbed her by the arm. "You will go away. You will never come back."

"Ow!" Gina cried out.

"Sweetheart, he's being gentle." Erin said. "Now, call a cab… and get the fuck away from us and our district."

Gina nodded and wriggled free of Jay's grasp. She sprinted for the door. Erin turned to Jay. "How you feeling ?"

"I'll be better once I can talk to Jes and convince her to at least hear Antonio out."

"Think she'll listen?"

Jay shrugged. "No fucking clue. She's stubborn most of the time… pregnancy has almost tripled her feelings and emotions."

Erin wrapped Jay in a hug. "They'll get through this, Jay. Real couples always do."

"Take me home." Jay sighed. He was exhausted, but he wasn't done yet. "I have to get them back together, so I can get some sleep."

"Detective Jay Halstead… relationship doctor?" Erin poked him in the ribs.

"Shut up, Erin." Jay groaned. "Just get me home."

Erin wrapped her arm around his waist and together they headed to her car.

* * *

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* * *

Jay went home and checked on Jes. She was still asleep. He turned back and thanked Erin for her help. "It meant a lot to me."

"Hey, just because we can't openly date… doesn't mean I don't care about you." She kissed him lightly. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Will do."

Erin turned and left. Jay locked the door behind her. This part was going to be the toughest of them all. He went into his bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Jes was cuddling the body pillow he had given her. He sighed. "Jes." He shook her shoulder gently. "Hey, sis."

Jes stirred. "Go away."

"Nope. Not gonna happen. I'm going on almost 36 hours of being awake."

"I'd rather just sleep forever." Jes tried to roll over.

"Jes… you have to face this thing."

"No, I don't. My fiancé chose to kiss another woman over me… and his child."

"What about your other children? The two you adopted."

"Shit." Jes forced herself to sit up. "I can't do this, Jay."

"You have to at least listen to him."

"No. No, I don't have to listen to anything." Jes shook her head.

"Jeslyn." He used his 'authority' tone. "I've spent the entire night chasing answers. I got the whole truth from both parties… they both told me the same thing… she initiated it."

"You trust that… that snake!?"

"No, but I do trust Antonio… I've worked with him long enough." Jay sighed. "Jes, can you please at least… give him a chance?"

"Maybe." Jes groaned. "I'm starving. You got any food?"

"Nooooo… but if you promise to behave… I'll go get you some of those bagels you like."

"Okay." Jes smiled. "Thank you."

Jay got up and kissed her cheek. "I'll be right back." Jes waited for Jay to leave before scrambling to change. When Jay came back 15 minutes later and his jaw dropped. Jes was gone. He grabbed his phone. "Antonio… she's gone."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio had called Hank, while Jay had called Erin. From there, it was a phone tree. Everyone met in the bullpen.

"Whatta we know?" Voight asked.

"Not much." Jay sighed. "I went to get breakfast and 15 minutes later, when I got back… she was gone."

"Where could've she gone in that time?" Voight looked to the others for answers.

No one knew. Suddenly, Kevin appeared. "Look, Jacquie told me to come talk to y'all… she thinks Jes' running."

That got people moving. Voight barked. "Call into O'Hare, Midway… the bus depots…"

"Train stations. Got it!" Adam started dialing numbers.

"Call the TSA!" Antonio shouted. "Have them put Jes on a no fly list."

"For what?" Jay asked. The idea would work, but they needed a reason.

"Kidnapping." Olinsky said. "Technically, she's kidnapping his child."

"Works for me." Voight pointed to Erin, who nodded.

Within the next ten minutes, Jes' description and ID was sent out to every transportation hub in the city. She was flagged by the TSA and if anyone found her, they'd hear about it. Now, they just had to wait.

* * *

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* * *

Jes had bought her ticket. She'd take as many planes as necessary to get out of Chicago. She thought when she woke up that it would've been some nightmare or April Fool's Day joke, but it wasn't. She looked at her ticket. Her flight was set to take off in three hours. She'd get to Edmonton around 2 in the morning on April 3, but that was fine by her. She needed to get away from the lies and the pain that was here. She rubbed her belly. She had three months to figure out what she was going to do. Three months before she'd be facing Antonio over custody of their child. She picked up her small suitcase and headed through Security. She handed her passport to the TSA agent.

He put it through the reader and froze. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

Jes looked at him. "Why? My passport isn't expired… I have dual citizenship."

"Ma'am, please." The agent said. "Don't make a scene. Just come with me."

Jes went to grab her bag.

"You won't be needing that." The agent took the bag for her. "Follow me please."

He led her down a narrow hallway into a room that reminded Jes of interrogation back at Intelligence. He pulled out a chair.

Jes hesitated. "Why…"

"Just sit, please."

Jes sat and the agent turned and left. Jes heard a key turn. "Wait! What am I in here for? What did I do?" She cried out.

No one came to answer her. She put her head down on the table and wept.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"Boss! O'Hare just called. TSA has Jes in custody. They want us to come pick her up." Adam called out.

Voight came from his office. "Get Burgess and Roman to go get her. Make sure they use cuffs. She needs to think this is serious." He turned to Antonio. "You'll get her to yourself. Make this work, Antonio. Commander Fisher will be all over our asses if we try to pull this off a second time."

Antonio nodded. "I'm not letting her go ever again."

"Good!" The rest of the team shouted.

Al looked over. "We can't keep up with this telenovela that you call your love life." He said before shoving a banana in his mouth.

"Yeah, I got it." Antonio sighed. "I'll be in the locker room."

Roman and Burgess quickly got their assignment and headed to O'Hare to pick up Jes. Neither of them was thrilled about this but they knew that this was one of those cases that they just didn't ask too many questions. It didn't take them long to reach the airport, mainly because they'd gone with sirens and lights. They parked in front of the entrance that Voight had told them to and headed to the TSA security desk.

"We're here to pick up Jeslyn Halstead."

The agent nodded. "Follow me."

The two patrolmen followed the TSA agent to a small back room. "Does she know anything?" Kim asked.

The agent shook his head. "No. We were told not to say anything. She's been demanding an answer for the last two hours though."

Roman sighed. "Any luggage."

"Just a carry on. It's at my desk."

Roman turned to Kim. "You go get it. I'll get her. This way, Dawson and Voight can solve this and we can go back to our boring patrol."

Kim sighed and nodded. The agent unlocked the door and headed back to the desk, Kim in tow to pick up Jes' suitcase. Roman took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Sean!" Jes exclaimed. "Thank God. Get me out of here! No one's told me a damn thing."

"Jeslyn Halstead, you are under arrest for kidnapping and grand larceny. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. If you decided to answer questions without an attorney present, you will still have the right to stop answering these questions until you consult with an attorney. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"Kidnapping?! Grand larceny!? This is a joke. Sean… come on! You know me!"

"Do you understand these rights, Miss Halstead."

Jes nodded. "Yes. I just don't understand why."

"Stand up, and turn around, please." Roman didn't like playing this part in the charade but he had to follow orders.

Jes slowly stood up and turned. Roman put the cuffs on her and led her outside.

Jes' head was hung. "Can you at least hide me? I can't lose P2K because of whatever this is."

Roman nodded. He signalled to Burgess to use her jacket to hide Jes' face. As far as they knew, no one was going to see this but he didn't blame Jes for wanting to be careful. They got her to the car quietly without causing a scene.

Once they were in the car, Jes shook the jacket off. "Can someone please tell me who I'm supposed to have kidnapped?"

Roman and Burgess remained silent as they had been ordered too. Jes groaned and slumped back against the seat of their cruiser. She couldn't just make a clean get away.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio was pacing in the locker room when Jay appeared. "Are they here?"

Jay nodded. "Just pulled into the rollup. She's demanding answers and I don't blame her."

"She wouldn't listen to reason and she tried to run." Antonio stated. "Pretty sure that this is one of those 'desperate times call for desperate measures' situations."

"She's gonna be pissed."

"It's not real and it's not going on a permanent record."

Erin poked her head in. "She's in interrogation and Roman says she's terrified that P2K's gonna get shut down."

"Fuck." Jay punched his locker. "You fix this while I go and assure everyone that P2K is not being run by a criminal."

Antonio nodded and took a deep breath. He had to make things right. He headed to the interrogation room.

Voight was waiting outside. "She's mighty pissed, bro."

"Well, I don't blame her, Voight." Antonio ran his hands through his hair. "You made sure it was known that this was just to keep her from leaving?"

"Don't worry, bro. We got you covered." Voight patted his shoulder. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Antonio took one last deep breath and headed into the dragon's den. He saw Jes. It hurt him to see her like this. She had one hand cuffed to the table. Her head was down and she was whispering to the baby. "Jes." He said hoarsely.

Jes' head snapped up. "You!" She went to get up but quickly sat back down as the handcuff cut into her wrist. "I should've known."

"Jes, please… don't… don't get too roweled up… for the baby." Antonio sat across from her.

"You don't get a say anymore, Antonio." She snapped. "Not… not after what I saw."

"Jes… baby." He touched her hand. She tried to pull back but Antonio kept holding on. "Please… just hear me out… if… if after that… you still think I'm lying… then I'll let you go. I won't try to stop you."

Jes froze. She looked him straight in the eye and could see the same honesty that was there the night he took her in to keep her safe. "Fine."

"Thank you." Antonio sighed. "Here." He got up and undid the cuff that held her to the table. "You don't need that anymore."

Jes rubbed her wrist. It was tender, but she knew that was partly her own fault from fighting them. "Thank you." She whispered.

Antonio sat down back in front of her. "First, I'm sorry. From the depths of my heart and soul, I am so sorry for what you saw."

Jes just stared at him. She wasn't speaking. Not until he had said his piece.

"Gina and I worked together in Vice. She's always had a thing for me… even though, I had reported her multiple times. When she came in to help with that case, she hit on me… I brushed it off. I had assumed… I assumed that she knew I was engaged."

Jes snorted. "To assume is to make an ass of you and me."

Antonio laughed softly. "Yeah. I get that now. She asked to meet up for drinks… that's when I called you. I wanted you to know more about me, and figured that a former partner would be the best way to do that. When you came in, we had just finished discussing this old case and that's when she kissed me. I was in shock. I didn't know what to do. I froze. Then… you came in. I pushed her away and ran after you. I never have and never will have any interest in her or any other woman." He got down on his knees beside her. "I love you and only you. I don't want anyone else. When you took off… it was like someone ripped my heart out. If you were gone… I don't… I don't know what I'd do." He lay his head in her lap and wept.

Jes was speechless. She was good at detecting lies. Every word he had spoken was the truth. Now he was openly crying in her lap. She instinctively put her hand on his head. She could feel the tears start to form in the corner of her eyes.

"I love you, Jeslyn." He sobbed. "You are my world. You and the kids. I can't… I just can't…"

Jes stroked his head. "Antonio." Her voice cracked. The emotions were running too high for her. "I didn't… I thought…" She lifted his head. "Antonio."

He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Jes… I swear… I swear on our children's lives… you are the only person for me… the only person I will ever want to kiss or share my life with."

"I was so scared… Antonio… that… I… I wasn't … good enough anymore."

"Baby, I'm the one who isn't good enough. I made you have doubts about me." He interrupted her. "I'M the one who's sorry."

Jes just buried her head in his shoulders. "I was so mad."

"I don't blame you."

 **On the other side of the glass…**

Voight turned off the speaker. "I think they've made up."

A round of 'Thank God' and 'Phew' went around the team. Voight dismissed everyone but Erin and Jay.

"You two… get that Gina in here. I'm gonna have a go with her."

Erin and Jay looked to each other. "Uh, Hank?" Erin said.

"What, Erin?"

"Jay, Gaby, Antonio and I all reamed into her since this went down."

"I don't care. Have Platt call her in here. Have her tell her that I need to see her and it's an order."

"Yes, sir." Jay nodded and took off to talk to Platt. Erin was hot on his heels.

Voight turned back to the interrogation room to watch the reunion.

 **Interrogation…**

"Antonio?"

"Yeah, baby." He whispered.

"I need to do something."

He had an inkling of what it was, but he pulled back and nodded. "Yeah?"

Her open palm made total contact with his cheek. "Next time, forget the trip down memory lane… and come home."

Antonio rubbed his jaw. "Yep. Understood. Ow."

She looked him in the eyes. "Who busted your nose?"

"Take your pick… Gaby attacked me… Jay decked me a couple times. You just hit me."

"I think you've learned you lesson." She whispered. "I just… I don't know what got over me."

"What got over you is a mix of hormones and a jealous rage that someone other than you was kissing your future husband." Antonio replied. "Which I can swear will never happen again."

"It better not… because next time… I'm gonna kill her then I'm gonna kill you."

"I don't doubt it." Antonio stroked her cheek. "But it ain't gonna happen again. Ever."

There was a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" Voight asked.

"Yes, Hank." Jes answered.

"Jeslyn… I'm sorry we had to put you through this… but we knew you and 'Tonio needed to work through this." Hank said whole-heartedly.

"I understand… I just… I just hope that P2K…"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that." Voight smiled. "It's been taken care of. No one knows and there's no official record of this."

"Not even the TSA?"

Hank shook his head. "No. The notification was clear that this wasn't anything more than a drill for them. Some people owed me favours. I called them in. We couldn't lose a pillar of the community like you to some tramp's ill choice in target men."

Jes laughed a little. "Okay. I can live with that."

From outside they could hear a kerfuffle. Antonio looked to Voight.

"How about you two go into observation? There's something Jes needs to see."

Antonio nodded and put his arm protectively around Jes' shoulder. He led her out of interrogation and into the observation room. He closed the door and waited to see what Voight had planned.

It wasn't long before Jes and Antonio's jaws dropped. Sergeant Platt escorted Gina Gawronski into interrogation. Voight was casually sitting in his chair. Gina took the seat that Voight motioned too.

"Do you know why you're here?"

Gina shook her head.

From the other side of the glass, Jes asked. "What happened to her?"

Antonio sighed. "Well, Gaby did a number on her… then I guess Erin and Jay went at her too."

"Oh." Jes whispered. She listened closely as Hank broke Gina down.

"You seriously don't know?" Voight asked. "Well, here I thought my detectives had been pretty clear."

"Sir?"

"I run a tight ship here. A ship on which I take care of my team. Antonio… well he's my second in command… when something happens to him… or his family… I tend to take things a little personally."

"I remember when the Pulpo thing went down." Gina whispered.

"Good… then you know how far I'll go to keep my team and their families happy and safe."

"Yes, sir."

"Good… so please clarify something for me. Did you really not know that Antonio is engaged to Jeslyn Halstead?"

Gina gulped.

"That's not an answer."

"I… I…"

"Yes or no. Did you know that Antonio was engaged to Jeslyn Halstead, Detective Halstead's sister and a big name in Chicago?"

"Yes, I knew."

"Then if you knew that… why did you think you could try and get him in bed?"

"Sergeant?" Gina's eyes grew in fear.

"I know everything that goes on in my unit." He pulled a file from behind his back. "I also know you've got quite the reputation when it concerns Antonio."

"Sir… I… I can explain."

"I'm sure you can give me some nice story… but judging by that raccoon look you got goin' on… Antonio's sister didn't buy it and from what I hear neither did Detectives Halstead and Lindsay."

Gina clammed up.

"So, here's the deal… I've already reported you to your superiors… gave them the loads of evidence that we had against you."

"But!"

"Don't interrupt me!" Voight pounded on the table. "You're done. There's an escort waiting for you to take you to the Ivory Tower. You can deal with the consequences there."

Gina's eyes bulged. "But, but!"

Jes, from the other side, had had enough. She tore away from Antonio and burst back into the interrogation room. Antonio didn't seem fazed. He just stood back and watched. Jes threw herself at Gina and started wailing on her. "How could you?! You scheming bitch!" This was followed by a string of vulgarities in French.

Antonio knew if he didn't stop Jes, she'd probably kill Gina. He ran to the other side and pulled Jes off of Gina. "Babe, Jes… it's okay. It's over… she's cooked. Let's go." Jes struggled against him and then collapsed against Antonio's chest. He rubbed her back. "It's over."

Gina gawked at him. "Antonio."

"Don't wanna hear it, Gina." Antonio snarled. "Jes is my life. This baby, our kids… they are my world… you don't belong in it." He led Jes out of the room, tuning out Gina's cries for him to come back. He led Jes to the kitchen area and sat her down. "Here, baby. I'm gonna make you some tea… just breathe, okay?"

Jes nodded. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Not letting me kill her."

Antonio kissed her forehead. "Babe, I didn't want our baby born in prison."

"Like I said, thank you."

"Anything for you, darlin'. Anything."

"Does that include some ice cream?"

"Sure. We'll get ice cream once we get outta here."

Jes sighed. "Do the kids…?"

Antonio nodded. "They know and they already gave me shit for it."

"They're good kids." Jes grinned.

"Yeah, and they love you. Eva threatened that if I didn't bring you home, she'd move in with you."

"Antonio, you know… you know that…"

"Baby, it's done… it's the past. Let's just get you home. The kids want to see you and I just want to hold you forever."

"Hey, I never asked… what did Jay do to you?"

Antonio instinctively rubbed his jaw. "He clocked me good a couple times. I didn't stop him. I actually handed him my gun."

"Antonio!"

"It was the deal I made him when I told him we were moving in together. If I ever hurt you, he could shoot me with my own gun."

"Antonio… I think you and Jay need some time apart." Jes sighed. "I can't lose either of you."

"I promise you… I'm not going anywhere… and if I have to, I'll cuff you to the bed to make sure you don't disappear on me."

"Nope!" Jes exclaimed. "No more handcuffs. Ever!"

Antonio laughed. "Can we go home?"

"Take me home, Antonio. Please." Jes put the cup in the sink.

Antonio picked her up in his arms. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Let me know what you think! All the best! Nicole**_


	33. Counting Stars

_***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes was curled up against Antonio when the alarm went off. It had been a couple weeks since their fight concerning Gina. Things were almost completely back to normal. Jes was bigger and she and Jacquie were continuously planning for the babies. Jes felt bad for Jacquie. Jacquie was going to be fairly far along in her pregnancy for the hottest months of summer in Chicago. The humidity alone would be murder. Jes was thankful that she'd be delivering at the beginning of July. Antonio was eager for the baby to come. He had already told Voight that he wouldn't be doing undercover anymore. Hank had agreed with one condition. That condition had been that he wouldn't have to go under unless it was life of death.

The alarm on Antonio's phone was ringing.

"Antonio." Jes groaned.

"I know. I know." He rolled over and turned off the alarm. "I don't want to get up either."

"Jay expects you to be at Matador's." She kissed his shoulder.

"I don't get it. For the longest time," Antonio rolled back over. "He never wanted to spar but now, it's all he wants to do."

"Maybe he's still not over you knocking me up… or that whole…"

"Nope." Antonio kissed her. "Do not mention that serpent." He brushed her bangs from her face. "I'll go and work out with him. Are you going to P2K?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. I have to start training mine and Jacquie's replacements. Because of her condition… Dr. Mayo is recommending she take an early mat leave… the nausea hasn't eased up too much."

Antonio got out of bed and went to grab his gym clothes. There wasn't a point in showering before going to the gym. He got dressed and went to brush his teeth. "So, she's going to be sick the whole 9 months?"

Jes wrapped a sheet around herself. "It looks like that. It's not as bad, but it hits her sometimes and she just can't gain any energy."

"So, we've been lucky." He mumbled with the toothbrush in his mouth, putting his hands on her very pronounced belly.

Jes nodded. "Definitely." She put her hand on his. "We'll have everyone trained in the next couple weeks. Then, I'll go in to run paperwork until Dr. Mayo tells me to kick back and wait for our little one to arrive."

"Mhmm." Antonio went to rinse his mouth. "We should start talking names, babe."

"I know… maybe tonight?"

Antonio nodded. "You want the kids there… or is this something we talk about and then present our choices?"

"I say, we ask them for their top two picks for a boy and for a girl and then we go from there." Jes smiled. She yawned and stretched which resulted in the sheet falling to the ground.

Antonio turned back from the ensuite. "Jes… babe… the…" He was speechless. He had been watching her body changed ever since they found out about the baby. Her skin was clear and radiant. He could tell that she'd gone up a cup size if not two and there were tiny little lines that showed just how tough she was, growing his child inside her. He reached out and traced one of her stretch marks.

Jes pulled back a little. "Antonio."

"Jes." He grinned. He pulled her in. "You're beautiful."

"I look like a fat, red striped zebra." She pouted.

"Jeslyn, you've got a child growing in there… we both knew that your body would change."

"I know… but…" She sighed. "I've never been super confident in my body…"

"Jes… you're gorgeous. These lines…" He touched another of the stretch marks. "Just tell me that you are strong and you're keeping our baby safe." He bent down and kissed her belly. "Baby, can you tell mommy to stop worrying so much?"

Jes giggled. "Ooo." Her hands flew to her side where baby had just kicked. "I think baby got the message."

"Will you listen?" He wrapped his arms around her.

"Fine… but we discuss baby names… tonight… at supper."

"Yes ma'am." Antonio winked. "What time's supper?"

"Six. Don't be late." She bopped him on the nose.

"I'll do my best." He kissed her. "Depends on what pops up today."

"Hopefully nothing too serious." Jes smiled. "Now, get going or else Jay's gonna come looking for you."

"Well, I sure as hell hope he'll have learned his lesson from a while back." Antonio grabbed his bag with his work clothes and tossed in a towel to shower at the gym. He kissed her again. "I love you."

"Love you too." She smiled. She picked up the sheet and tossed it on the bed. After Antonio left, Jes headed into the bathroom to have a shower and get ready for the day.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

After an hour at the gym, Antonio and Jay showered, changed and headed to grab coffee before going to the District.

"So, why haven't you sold this place?" Jay asked as they left Antonio's restaurant.

"The kids are still attached." Antonio sighed. "It brings in extra income and Jes has kids working here for work experience. She's even working on having other chefs from other restaurants join us. She has this philosophy that food is a way to keep these kids outta trouble."

"Isn't that what boxing did for you?" Jay took a sip of his coffee.

Antonio nodded. "Yeah."

"Then, why wouldn't food work in today's day and age?"

"I guess you're right." Antonio took a bite of his breakfast sandwich. "Let's go see what mischief is stirring today."

They headed to Antonio's truck and made their way to the district.

Upon their arrival, Jay went to talk to Erin about his grandfather's cabin in Wisconsin. He told her about the history and how his grandfather had had it moved to be on the water's edge. "Great fishing." He said while adding in the types of fish they could catch.

Erin looked at him suspiciously. "Mosquitoes?"

Jay laughed. "Like birds. But it's a great place to retire."

Erin shook her head, laughing. "I'm not living in Northern Wisconsin."

"I don't remember asking you." Jay replied.

Antonio came in and was headed to his desk when Erin asked him. "Antonio, would you ever live in Northern Wisconsin?"

He put his coat on his chair. "Sure, yeah. Snowmobiling, ice fishing… meth labs. It's paradise."

Jay scoffed. "Man, you're not helping. Plus, I doubt my sister would let you retire out there… she'd probably move you guys back up to Alberta… which isn't far off from what the weather in Northern Wisconsin is like."

They quickly discovered that today was going to be a very long day. There weren't any cases. This meant it was paperwork overload. It wasn't often that Intelligence didn't have a case, so when they didn't it meant catching up on paperwork. Antonio wasn't too bad off in that department. The years in the Marines and his years with Vice meant his desk and files were some of the most organized in the unit. Jay wasn't far behind. Ruzek and Olinsky, however, were generally worse off. This time, Kevin joined that group.

"Damn!" He groaned. "This is why I don't need forced furlough." He worked on dividing the four-foot pile into more manageable piles. "Who knew taking my honeymoon would mean this much paper-pushing."

"Yo, Kev!" Adam called from the filing cabinet. "Think this is bad? Wait til you take leave for the baby."

Kevin groaned louder. "I'm seriously wishing I hadn't told y'all about that."

Antonio laughed. "It would've come out eventually." He pointed to his stomach. "She wasn't going to be able to hide it too long."

Kevin hung his head in defeat. "Yeah, yeah." He sighed and sat at his desk to tackle the easiest pile first. "I can't believe the Doc's already making her take leave because of this morning sickness thing."

Erin poked her head out from the kitchen. "Better now than risking complications later." She went back into the kitchen.

Kevin didn't answer. He just started signing and dating files that were completed and just needed his signature. He knew that they were all being supportive, but it was really hard to balance this. He'd have to ask Antonio for his secret, later. He looked at their wedding picture on the corner of his desk. Jacquie was about 4 and a half months along. She was glowing and she had the most adorable baby bump, but all of that disappeared when the nausea would hit her. He was lucky that his in-laws had decided to extend their stay for a few more weeks to help her out around the house. They were also really great with Vinessa. They told her to call them 'mom' and 'dad' just because it was easier. That had made 'Nessa's day. He was done that pile. He picked it up and went to bring it to Platt since they were mostly her files in the first place.

Antonio breezed through his files. He was in the middle of thinking of baby names, while putting old files back in a box, when Voight appeared at the top of the stairs with Dan Jenkins.

"Alright, everybody. A warm Intelligence welcome to Dan Jenkins. He's here to school us in the fine art of…"

"Taser certification." Jenkins finished.

"Taser certification." Voight looked to his team. He looked less than thrilled with this arrangement. "That… sounds like a ball."

"No offence, big homey," Kevin said from the filing cabinet. "But we're not really the Tasering type of department."

"Well, I'm not really the 'want to be here' type of cop, but the CPD says it's mandatory." Jenkins replied, deadpan. "You don't like it, take it up with the superintendent."

"Hey." Kevin put his hands up. "It's all good with me."

Voight nodded to Antonio as he walked past his desk. Antonio smiled and shook his head. Voight wasn't going to be sticking around for this and everyone knew it.

"Uh… you're in this too… Sergeant." Jenkins called after him.

Voight kept walking. "I'll just stick to tickling perps to death."

Jenkins just stared as Voight and Olinsky went into Voight's office. Then he turned to Antonio.

Antonio shrugged. "You're free to go ask him again."

"Will Rogers obviously never met Sergeant Voight." Jenkins went to put his case down on Atwater's desk. "Alright then, the rest of you, gather around. Give me your names for the certification."

Adam then went on to whine about how long this would take. Antonio shook his head at Ruzek's impatience. He knew this was a mundane part of the job but it was still part of it. He went to join the others. He was the first to fill out the paperwork so he could get certified. While Kevin had made a point on them not necessarily being the Taser type of cops, it was still a better option then always killing their suspects.

Jenkins, after receiving everyone's filled out paperwork began to explain the different types of Tasers. He pulled out one of the department's preferred Tasers. "The X26 sends 50 thousand volts through these two prongs. It disrupts the electrical communication between your nerves and your neural transmitters. You want to make contact with the torso, which is… shoulders… pelvis… abdomen… groin." He pointed to all the areas. "S-P-A-G." He spelled out the mnemonic that had been developed to help remember this."

"Come on, man." Adam whined. "Let's get on with it, alright?"

"Due time." Jenkins responded. "Due time." He turned back to the rest of the group. "Now you all need to be Tasered to be certified. It is completely harmless, but you will know what it feels like to be juiced, which will allow you to definitely testify in court on the reaction to the electrical expos…" He stopped and stared at Ruzek, who had pulled out his cell phone and was more attentive to it than the certification process.

"Yeah, we get it, man, okay? We get it."

"Oh, good! A volunteer." Jenkins said. He grabbed Ruzek by the shoulders and jabbed the X26 Taser into Adam's abdomen.

Kevin went to grabbed Adam as he cried out in shock. Adam groaned loudly as the voltage coursed through his body. Kevin helped him fall to the mat that was on the floor. Erin covered her mouth in shock while Jay and Antonio couldn't help but laugh. Adam lay on the ground for a couple minutes, still twitching and groaning in pain.

Jay turned to Antonio. "I think that's something I should've done to you when I found out about Jes and you."

"Instead of breaking my face?" Antonio smirked.

Jay just laughed. "That was so worth the price of admissions." He and Kevin helped Adam off the mat and to his desk.

Jenkins turned to the him. "You're next."

"I volunteer to Tase him." Erin raised her hand a little more enthusiastically than Jay would've like to see.

Jenkins extended her the Taser and she gave Jay a look of 'you're in for it now, buddy'.

Jay sighed. "Okay, I mean… this doesn't seem, like… official enough."

Erin took the Taser and looked Jay in the eye. "Where do you want it? S… P… A… or G?"

Jay instantly answered. "Shoulders."

Antonio was having a ball. "G!" He called out.

Kevin and Antonio both taunted Jay by telling Erin to Tase him in the groin. Jay just glared at them before turning back to Erin. "Don't you dare."

Erin had this wild look in her eye, she moved the Taser up and down between his abdomen and groin. Jay was terrified. He loved her, that was undeniable, but he wasn't sure how much he'd still love her if she Tased him in the groin. Erin finally decided and Tased him in the very lower part of his abdomen… right above the groin. She had got him in the pelvis. Jay groaned and collapsed instantly to the ground, writhing in pain.

Antonio's hand flew to his mouth to stifle his laughter. "Ouch, bro."

Jay just lay on the ground. "Fuuuuuuuck!" He groaned.

Erin handed the Taser back to Jenkins. She bent over Jay and whispered in his ear. "Babe, you okay?"

Jay moaned. "Mhmm." He looked at her, tears in the corner of his eyes. "That really… really fucking hurt."

Antonio went to his future brother-in-law's side and helped Erin get him off the mat. "You going to be okay?"

Jay nodded slowly. "Just don't think I'll be making you and Jes any nieces or nephews for a while… I think that just fried whatever chance there was of that happening anytime soon."

Antonio patted him on the back. "I'll be sure to let Jes know. Come on, bro. Let's get you sitting down."

* * *

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* * *

Jes was pacing in her office. Her replacement was due in 5 minutes and she was anxious. She was getting ready to train this person to take over her baby, her youth centre, for a year while she was on Maternity leave.

Jacquie was reclining on the sofa in Jes' office. "Why are you so nervous?"

"Because… I've put a year or so's work into this centre and now I'm leaving it in the hands of someone else."

"You're training that someone else." Jacquie reminded her. "It's not like you're just handing over the keys and saying 'sink or swim'."

"I know, it's just…" Jes rubbed her belly. "I never thought this was possible… it's why I put so much effort into the centre… because I never thought I'd have kids of my own."

"Jes… everything that's happened in the last year… it wasn't planned… it's still a miracle… you've got an amazing fiancé… two awesome kids and another one on the way… like… just relax… or else that baby is going to be coming sooner than planned."

Jes sighed and collapsed into her desk chair. "I know." She laughed. "I wonder what the guys are up to today."

"Probably getting into a shit tonne of trouble, like always." Jacquie laughed along with Jes.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Kevin was not looking forward to this. He braced himself as Jenkins got the Taser ready. Antonio was standing behind him to help him fall to the ground without breaking anything. He took a deep breath as Jenkins jabbed the Taser into his ribs. He grunted and collapsed to the ground. Antonio helped him to the mat.

"As you see, the bigger they are, the harder they drop." Jenkins smiled. He was enjoying this a little more than he should. "50,000 volts is nothing to sniff at."

Antonio helped Kevin up. "You gonna be telling Jacquie about this?"

Kevin groaned. "You gonna tell Jes?"

"No secrets… not anymore."

"Then… ooohhhh." He grabbed his ribs. "I'll have to tell Jacquie."

"Good plan."

"When are you getting zapped?"

Antonio shrugged. "Personally, I'm hoping he forgets me."

"Jay and I won't let him." Kevin laughed.

"Well, fuck." Antonio shook his head.

Kevin and Antonio paid attention to Jenkins again as he was reaming Adam out for not having his head in the game. Jenkins turned to Erin, who was silently snickering at Adam. "You're up next lady."

Erin's eyes widened. "Oh, I… uh… I think we've seen enough." She stammered.

"Oh, the X26 does not discriminate by gender." Jenkins smiled. "March it over here."

Jay walked over and took Erin by the elbow. "It's payback time."

Erin groaned but went with him to the mat.

Jay was smirking. "They do say payback is a bitch."

"Jay… come on… I didn't…"

He took the Taser. "S-P-A… or G?" He had a twinkle in his eyes.

"A." She pleaded. "Or S."

"Tsk tsk tsk." He laughed. "Shouldn't have gone for…" He put the Taser to her pelvis. "My P…"

The whole office erupted into laughter. Erin groaned and fell to the mat. Jay looked to make sure Voight wasn't watching. When he saw that Voight and Olinsky were deep in conversation, he bent down and kissed Erin's cheek. "Sorry."

"No, you're not." Erin groaned. "Help me up."

Jay helped her up and got her to her desk. "You'll be fine. I was."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Real mature, Erin." Antonio commented from the other side of the bullpen.

Jenkins grabbed Antonio's arm. "Did you think I was going to forget about you?"

Antonio shrugged. "I've had close to a dozen bullet holes… I think I can handle this." He tried to sound more confident that he was feeling. He vaguely remembered being Tased once when they were first introduced to the force. It wasn't pleasant but it certainly was better than being shot.

Jay looked to Kevin. "Since… he's marrying my sister… I think I deserve to juice him." No one argued with him. Jay took the Taser one last time. He looked Antonio straight in the eye. "Where do you want it?"

"Like you'd actually listen to me." Antonio scoffed.

"Come on, 'Tonio." Jay pouted. "Give me something."

"Abdomen." Antonio answered. He knew that Jay wasn't going to do that. He was still pissed about the Gina thing.

Jay nodded. "Okay." He jabbed the Taser right into Antonio's toned abs.

Antonio gasped as the electricity coursed through him. "Oh, fuck." He groaned.

Jenkins and Kevin helped him fall to the mat. Jay put the Taser back in its case and turned back to Antonio.

"You okay?"

"Didn't think… oh… you'd… listen." Antonio groaned from the mat. He rolled over onto his back. "Those things got stronger."

Jenkins nodded. "Yeah, they have."

Jay extended his hand. "You didn't choose shoulder… you chose gut… I could live with that."

Antonio took his hand and got back up. He shook his head to clear the buzzing from his ears. "What would've you done if I'd said groin?"

"Considering that you've made my sister happy and gave me awesome niece and nephew… plus the baby… probably wouldn't want to mess up any chances of having more nieces and nephews someday."

Antonio leaned against his desk. "You don't think 3 is enough?"

Jay just laughed.

"Well… I guess that's that." Jenkins put the Taser away and took out some paperwork. "Y'all just need to fill these out and sign them. I'll have your certification sent over by the end of the week." He handed each Intelligence member a packet of forms. When he got to Antonio, he asked. "What do I do about the…uh…" He motioned to Voight's office.

"Best choice…" Antonio took his packet. "Fill them out and just do it… they're too old school to do this."

Jenkins shook his head. "Figured as much." He went to Olinsky's desk to fill out the forms that Al and Hank would have to just sign off on.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes and Jacquie were surprised to know that both of their replacements were also, originally, inner city high school teachers. Rosie, Jes' replacement, reminded her a little bit of Antonio's mom. She was kind but strict. She understood what Jes' vision was and even mentioned that because of P2K, two of her grandchildren had stepped away from the gang life. That had made Jes very happy. Jacquie's replacement was a little younger, but he too knew what it meant to have P2K in Chicago. Xander was a single dad, his daughter was born when he was 16. His daughter was the reason he got out of the gangs and went to be a teacher. Her mother however hadn't been so lucky and was found dead shortly after their daughter's first birthday, OD'd on a bad batch of heroin. She was now 14 and had begun to come volunteer at P2K. Jes and Jacquie were confident in leaving P2K in their hands. They also had a month to work together with Rosie and Xander to make sure the transition would go smoothly and the kids would still have the best opportunities in Chicago.

"Well, I think this is going to go well." Jes said at the end of the day.

"I'm beat." Jacquie collapsed on the sofa in the main room.

They had seen all the kids off. Eva, Diego and Vinessa had gotten picked up by Jacquie's parents who were staying for a little while longer. It was just them, Xander and Rosie left.

"Miss Halstead…" Xander approached her.

"Jes… please." Jes smiled.

"Jes." Xander nodded. "What you do here… it's awe inspiring."

"Thank you, Xander."

"What can we do to help make sure everything stays the way you have it?" He asked.

"Don't change too much, but don't force yourselves to be me or Jacquie… run it your way but within the guidelines we show you." Jes answered.

Jacquie nodded. "Just do what we've seen you do… what you've been doing to better these kids' lives… trust me… we've flown by the seat of our pants a few times."

Rosie laughed. "I know that all too well. You two should be really proud of what you've done so far."

"Thank you, Rosie." Jes blushed. "I was wondering, if you, personally, would be able to offer or find people to offer sort of a literacy or reading buddy program… or languages?"

"I would love to… I could organize both and let you pick one?" Rosie sat next to Jacquie.

"Just run with them." Jacquie said. "If you let her pick, she'll drive herself and you crazy."

"Would not!" Jes exclaimed.

Jacquie arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

Jes contemplated it. "Nope, you're right."

Rosie smiled. "If it doesn't work… or you don't like it, please tell me…"

"Rosie… don't worry about it." Jes reached over and patted her hand. "If it's something that works… or looks like it'll work… just go for it… there's so much… so, so much that Jacquie and I want to be able to do for these kids… we can't think of everything on our own."

Rosie kept smiling. She turned to Jacquie. "I know this may not be my place, but I understand you've got that morning sickness condition…"

Jacquie nodded. "Sadly."

"I have a couple things I used when I was pregnant back in the day… more herbal… that may help."

"I'll take anything at this point." Jacquie laughed. She rubbed the small bump that was beginning to show. "We just told everyone about the baby… so everyone's just telling me to rest… rest doesn't do much."

Rosie patted her hand. "Try some peppermint oil… I'll bring a couple other things tomorrow."

Jes struggled to get up from her chair. "Note to self, don't sit in the overstuff chairs when you're almost 7 months pregnant."

"Here, let me." Xander extended his hand and helped Jes up.

"Thank you." She smiled. "Maybe you could teach the boys how to be gentlemen?"

"It worked in South Carolina… so why not?" Xander laughed. "I think that would be a great thing for some of these young men."

"Well, I guess we all have things to do and organize for the next few days." Jacquie said. She got off the sofa. "Jes… we should get going if you're gonna be home in time for supper tonight."

Jes looked at her watch. "Shit!" She blushed. "Sorry… I don't think I'll be making supper… it's almost 6… and I told Antonio we'd be having supper right at 6 so we can talk baby names with the kids."

"Get pizza." Jacquie stretched. "It's an easy fix, plus knowing you… your family hasn't had junk food in a while."

"Yeah… I guess that is the easiest option." Jes conceded. "Well, let's lock up and head home. We can start over again tomorrow."

With that, they headed out and Jes contemplated on which pizza she would be ordering for her family tonight.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was just packing up to leave when Voight erupted from his office. "Suit up. Burgess and Roman are missing… we're gonna go look for 'em."

Antonio groaned. He looked at his watch. He was so going to be late for supper. He sent Jes a quick text while running to his car. _–Hey babe… something popped up… Kim and Sean are MIA. Be home asap… I'm sorry._

He couldn't wait for a response. He put the car in gear and floored it towards the patrolmen's last known location.

It didn't take long before they found Roman and Burgess. The burst into the warehouse just in time. By the looks of it, Roman and Burgess had been able to handle themselves fairly well. Roman, however, looked a lot worse for wear. He was bleeding from the head and Kim looked bruised. They called in the medics and had Roman and Burgess checked out. Once the rest of the team catalogued the evidence and handed the case off to be handled by Vice and Gangs as a joint investigation, they headed home.

Antonio looked at the clock in his car when he got back to the district. It was almost 7. He checked his phone to see if Jes had responded to his previous message. There was an answer.

 _-Let me know when you're on your way. We're having pizza. Love you._

Antonio smiled. He didn't know what he did or what his guardian angels had to do to get him this second chance with Jes, but he was sure as hell grateful to have her in his life. He replied. _– Getting in the truck now… should be home in about 15 depending on traffic. You're the best… you know that?_

He switched from his district car to his truck and headed home to his family.

* * *

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* * *

"So Dad and you are really gonna let us have input on the baby's name?" Diego asked as he set the table.

"Yep." Jes grinned. "It's a family decision… you're the baby's big brother and big sister, so… you can give your opinion."

"This is cool." Eva was excited. "So… is that why we're doing pizza tonight?"

Jes sighed. "Partially… also partly because Jacquie and I were late leaving P2K tonight. With Rosie and Xander helping us now, we're actually hoping to have it stay open a little later."

"That'll be cool." Diego said. "Maybe I can get more boxing in."

"As if you need more of that." Eva snorted. "Between the time you do it at P2K and the time you're boxing with Dad… people would think you're training to be the next Mohamed Ali."

"Dad could've gone to the Olympics." Diego reminded his sister.

"Okay, you two. Cut it out." Jes crossed her arms. "As long as neither of you is getting into trouble, your father and I really don't mind whatever activities you choose to do."

"Your mom's right." Antonio said from the doorway.

"Dad!" Eva ran to hug her father. "Long day?"

"You have no idea." Antonio kissed her cheek. "Hey, little man."

"Hey, Dad." Diego said as he put the pitcher of lemonade on the table. He went to hug his dad.

"How was your day?" Antonio asked them. They regaled them in their adventures at P2K as well as informed him of their marks from recent assignments for school. Once Antonio congratulated them on a job well done, he came and hugged Jes. "Hey, babe." He pulled out a bouquet of alstroemeria. "For you and for being so understanding.

"Hey, yourself." She kissed him and took the bouquet. "These are beautiful. Thank you for the text… it prevented a disaster of pizza malfunctions."

"What kind of malfunctions?" Antonio asked.

The doorbell rang, interrupting Jes' response. She grabbed her wallet and went to pay. She returned with two distinct boxes of pizza; one was from Bartoli's and the other was from Reno. She placed the boxes on the table.

Antonio arched an eyebrow. "Two different pizza joints? The delivery guys musta been confused."

"A little." Jes smirked. "Then I pointed to my belly and they laughed saying it's not the first time a pregnant woman craves two different kinds of pizza."

The whole kitchen burst into laughter. It was funny. There were a lot of things that they had taken to doing that people would think of as weird, but as soon as they noticed that Jes was pregnant, well they just went with it.

"So what did we get?" Diego asked. He was starving.

"I ordered the Reno with prosciutto for Eva and myself." Jes pointed to the one box. "And I ordered it half Chicago Stockyard and half Bartoli's Chicago Classic for you and your dad."

"You know us too well." Antonio laughed.

Jes just shook her head. She was still a die-hard fan of Neapolitan pizza and Reno's was the best one in Chicago. She had gotten Eva to love it too, and their go to was the Reno with prosciutto. However, Antonio and Diego were a lot harder to convert. They were still Chicago Deep Dish lovers and it had to have lots of meat. Bartoli's also did a kick-ass half and half for them whenever they ordered. It had been more frequently before Jes and Antonio had come back from Alberta, but they still got the deal when they did order. They sat down and ate their pizza. Supper wasn't going to be dragged out tonight. Everyone was hungry. In a matter of minutes, they had had their fill and there weren't any left-overs.

"So, Mom told you about the baby name thing?" Antonio asked.

Diego and Eva nodded. "We get to give two suggestions each for a boy and for a girl. Then you and Mom get final say."

"Very good." Antonio got up to clear off the table. "Now, remember this is a big deal, so we have to take it seriously."

Both kids nodded. Antonio was so proud of them and how they had adjusted to the changes they were going through. He was truly thankful for his family. He wasn't about to do anything that could jeopardize them or their tight-knit reality.

Once they had the table cleared off they set up to discuss the options for the baby names. It took about an hour for everyone to come up with two names they liked, but it was worth it. This was family bonding time. It was something that was rare but it was needed. It was moments like these that kept their relationship strong and it was what made them closer.

"Okay, so for a boy… I like Xavier and Lucas." Diego said. "And for a girl, I think something like Lily or Julia."

Jes wrote down Diego's choices. "Eva, what do you think?"

"I really like Tiago or Mateo." She answered. "For a girl, I really think something like Sofia or Juliana."

"I see a pattern with your choices." Jes laughed. "A girl's name that ends with an 'a' or an 'o' ending for the boy's name."

Eva thought about it. "It kinda makes sense… it's almost a Dominican thing."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah except Jes is French… I think we should honour that too."

"I think… as long as the baby and Mom are happy and healthy… the name is the least of the problems." Diego piped up. "I'm not gonna have to change stinky, poopy diapers… am I?"

Antonio shook his head. "Not unless you're babysitting… for now."

"Phew." Diego breathed a sigh of relief. He would help with other things but diapers; those weren't his thing.

"Well… Antonio… what choices do you like?"

Antonio had had a significant amount of time to think about it. "I really think that we should do something Dominican if it's a boy and French if it's a girl."

"Don't you have any ideas?" Diego asked.

"I do… but I was kinda hoping to hear what your mom had to say first."

"I personally love the name Mateo for a boy… but when I mentioned it to Jay… he said it might not be the best pick because of what happened last year."

Antonio nodded. Mateo had been the name of the man that had kidnapped Diego, but that didn't have to reflect on his son if that's what they had. "Mateo is a strong name. I like it."

"It's Matthew in Spanish, right?" Jes asked.

Antonio nodded. "Yep. It means God's gift… which if you ask me, this baby most definitely is."

"I like Mateo." Diego answered. "It's cool."

"So, Mateo if it's a boy?" Jes asked.

"Yes!" Diego and Eva exclaimed.

"I guess we have a boy's name… what about girls?" Antonio asked.

Jes didn't have to think too hard about it. "I love the name Josée, in honour of my grandmother."

"That's French." Diego laughed.

"Very much so." Eva added. "It's really pretty."

Antonio nodded. "I like it."

"So, we have them?" Jes asked.

The family nodded. "Yep."

Jes beamed. "Mateo for a boy and Josée for a girl."

"Now, we only have to wait about 3 more months to find out which one we get to use." Antonio sighed. "That's too long."

"Dad, you won't convince mom to find out what it is beforehand. You know that."

"I had to try." Antonio laughed. He looked at the time. "Okay, you two… go get ready for bed. An hour of personal time, then it's off to bed for both of you." Both kids nodded and headed to their rooms. Antonio took Jes by the hand. "I want to show you something."

Jes had no idea what he could possibly want to show her, but she followed his lead. They got to their bedroom. "Antonio… it's our bedroom… I know what it looks like."

"Not… not this." He pushed open the door.

Jes stepped in and her jaw dropped. In the corner of their bedroom was a perfect little set-up with a basinet and change table as well as storage for all the new baby things they were certain to get. "Antonio!"

"I asked Matt and Kelly to come do this… it'll do until the nursery is actually finished."

"Where on earth is the nursery going to be?" Jes asked.

Antonio led her to the next room. She gasped when she was what used to be Antonio's workout space. It had been completely gutted and there were markings for measurements everywhere.

"I asked Matt to build a door between the two rooms so that if the baby cries, we can go right to them."

"Antonio, it's beautiful." She smiled. "This baby is so loved already."

"This baby… will be loved by all of its family, whether it's blood family or not." Antonio put his arms around her. "We're going with that theme you wanted, too. The Care Bears one."

"Awe! That'll be so cute!" Jes leaned into him. "Well, as long as we're a family… that's all that will ever matter to me!"

"We're not going anywhere. I promise."

"So what do we get to do for personal time?" Jes asked mischievously.

"I was thinking I could give you a nice foot rub and we could watch something on TV." Antonio smiled. "I'm not risking sending you into labour because of other activities."

"Dr. Mayo said we can be intimate… just have to be careful with what positions we choose."

"Maybe this weekend… when I'm off… and I don't have to go deal with mountains of paperwork in the morning."

Jes pouted. "Fine."

"I can go get the Turtles ice cream you've been craving."

Jes' eyes lit up. "Okay. I can settle for a foot rub, some ice cream… and maybe…" She thought about what she would want to watch. "Food Network?"

"Whatever is going to make you and the baby happy, I'm willing to watch."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

When they woke up the next morning, they woke up to a late April snow storm. Jes groaned. "I seriously thought I had escaped this shit when I left Alberta…"

"Chicago gets wonky weather all the time, Mom." Eva pointed out, pouring cereal into a bowl. "This isn't bad. I remember it snowing and having lightning a couple years ago in MAY."

Jes snorted. "The year I was born, it snowed every month from January to December."

"Even in August?!" Diego exclaimed. "Doesn't it get hot there?"

"Normally… the snow didn't stay… but it did snow." Jes sat next to Diego at the table. "My dad used to joke that it was because I was born that it snowed so much. He used to call me his Snow Princess." Jes smiled at the memory. "He told me the day I was born, it was a huge blizzard but the instant I was born and he heard me cry, he swore the snow stopped."

"Awe! Mom! That's really cute." Eva exclaimed.

Jes nodded. She hadn't thought of that in a while. She rubbed her belly.

"Jes… are you okay?" Antonio asked, sitting across from Jes.

Jes sniffled and nodded. "Yeah. Just… um… missing my dad."

Diego hugged her. "It's okay, Mom. That's normal."

Antonio reached across the table and took her hand. "Well, I'm pretty sure that your dad is watching over us and the kids."

Jes smiled. "I know. Just… he…"

Antonio stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears away. "We're here for you… it's okay…"

"These hormones… definitely do not help." She snickered. "I'm all over the place."

They finished up breakfast and while the guys cleaned up the kitchen, Jes and Eva set to pulling out some of the winter clothes they had just put away.

"Mom, maybe we should always keep some handy… you know, just in case." Eva said putting the boots by the doors.

"I'm starting to think the same thing." Jes said. "Maybe we should keep the winter clothes in the guest room closet until it's blazing hot outside."

"Won't we be back at your farm by then?"

"Yeah, but… we may need them again by the time we come back." Jes pointed out.

"So… are you and Dad taking a honeymoon?"

"We will… once the baby is here and we can leave the baby with some to watch him or her… but after the wedding… I kinda have a surprise planned for the whole family for after the wedding."

"Can I know?"

"Eva… it's a surprise lol… if I tell you… kinda ruins the surprise." Jes laughed.

"I had to try." Eva shrugged. "I'm gonna go get ready to go to P2K."

Jes nodded. "Good idea… make sure Diego brushes his teeth."

Antonio appeared in the entry way. He wrapped his arms around her. "So what's this about a surprise."

"Like I told Eva… it's a surprise." Jes turned around and kissed him. "You'll all love it. I promise."

"Hmm." He cocked his head to the side. "We'll see. I have to head out… Jay said he needs a ride because he's snowed in."

"Can't Erin drive him? Pretty sure they're spending more time together than Hank would like to know about."

"I'm not touching that subject with a 10-foot pole." Antonio said. "What your brother does with her… none of my business."

Jes laughed. "Well… just be safe today… let me know what time you'll be home."

"I promise." He bent down and kissed her. Then he knelt and kissed her belly. "Baby, be good for mommy today."

"I love you." Jes kissed him again. "Be safe… I mean it."

"I will." He grabbed his coat and toque. "I promise. Stay warm with the kids today."

"Get going." Jes wrapped a scarf around his neck. "I don't need Jay phoning me."

"10-4." He laughed and headed out into the snow.

Jes closed the door and went to get ready for the day. She would have to call Jacquie and make sure she was prepared for an indoor day at P2K. There was no way that it was safe enough to do any outdoor sports today.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Everyone was at their desks when Voight was leaning against the doorjamb of his office. He watched as Jay came out of the kitchen. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Good." Jay answered while looking at Antonio.

Antonio interpreted the look as 'what the fuck is Voight up to'.

Then Erin came out and Voight asked her how the coffee was. Erin replied that it was delicious. The conversation quickly switched to some of the new software that needed to be learned, and that was being left up to Kevin and Adam because they were the newer members of the team.

Jay could tell that neither of them wanted to learn this stuff so he spoke up. "Don't say another word… I got the perfect guy for that. He did the explosives case for us last year. Mouse, you remember him?"

"I remember everything, Jay." Voight answered.

"Alright, well… then you'll recall that he did a great job for us, and when O gets here, he'll tell you that too."

"I'm here." Al poked his head out. "Yeah, he was solid."

"Yeah, plus… he's, like, a total tech whiz, you know… and I would trust him with my life. In fact, I have… many times."

While Jay was still speaking, Commander Fischer and another cop walked through the bullpen and straight into Voight's office. Voight turned to Jay. "Bring him around." He then followed the other two men into his office and closed the door.

No one knew what this was about but whatever it was, it had to be serious. Jay took this time to call Mouse to have him come into the District.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes was going over some of the paperwork with Rosie and explaining the types of reports that had to be done and when they were due.

"So, it's like teaching again." Rosie laughed.

"More or less." Jes smiled. "It's gonna be this way for the first couple years because the Mayor and City Council want to make sure they made the right investment in P2K."

"Don't worry, Jes. We'll take good care of it once you're on Mat Leave." Xander said from the filing cabinet. "We see how the kids look at you. You will always be the heart and soul of this place."

"That she will be." Jacquie said as she came into the office. "It's getting a little rowdy out there right now."

"What's up?" Jes asked.

"The kids are getting restless because they can't go outside."

Jes looked out the window. It had stopped snowing. She turned to Xander. "Think you could take a group of kids out there to play hockey… providing they don't rough house too much?"

Xander nodded. "Sure thing." He grabbed his coat and gloves. "Oh, hey… umm… a couple of the guys I hang out with sometimes… they're good friends with Jeff Clarke over at 51 too… they play for the BlackHawks… maybe they could come sometime and do some workshops with the kids."

Jes and Jacquie's jaws dropped. "Seriously!?"

Xander nodded. "Yeah. They helped raise money for that library at the school last year."

"I remember Antonio talking about that." Jes said.

"Hell… that would make most of those kids feel like they're on cloud nine." Jacquie said. "If you get them here… I will worship the ground you walk on."

"Well, you don't have to go that far." Xander laughed. "Just… maybe keep me on somehow once you come back."

Jes grinned. "We wouldn't get rid of you unless you wanted to leave… I'm kinda hoping to have a little more help around here so Jacquie and I can do more stuff with the kids too."

"I like that." Xander smiled. "Well, I'll take some of them out so they don't drive all of you bonkers."

Rosie smiled. "You two won't be lacking any help."

"Thank you, Rosie."

Jes went to check on the rest of the kids. After talking with a number of them, she decided it was time to break out a movie. She set up the DVD player and the projector. While the kids voted on movies with Rosie, Jacquie and Jes took some of the kids to go make some popcorn. Upon their return it had been decided to watch 'Madagascar'. They settled in and pressed 'play'.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

After Commander Fischer and Lieutenant Guthrie had left, Voight called Antonio into his office.

"Antonio… I know you asked me not to stick you under cover until after the baby's born…"

"But you need me to anyhow." Antonio finished the sentence.

"I wouldn't be asking if it weren't important." Voight crossed his arms. "I know that it's risky… especially with Jeslyn getting close to month 7."

"What's the deal?" Antonio sat back in the chair.

"Narcotics… one of their deep covers is MIA… they're worried he's been made."

"Who's my contact?"

"Someone from your past."

Antonio shook his head. "Voight, I spent most of my career undercover… you gotta give me more than that."

"Coop."

Antonio sighed. "Haven't been Diaz in a long time, Sarge."

"I know… and I know I'm asking a lot of you… but this is coming from the Ivory Tower."

"Can I at least talk to Jes?" Antonio asked.

"Call her… we don't have time to get her here and get you under tonight."

"Fuck." Antonio shook his head. "Last time, Voight… I'm doing this because a cop's life is on the line… otherwise, I'd be telling the Ivory Tower where to shove it."

"I got you, bro." Voight extended his hand. "Maybe Jay can stay with Jes and the kids."

"You worried about retribution?"

Voight shook his head. "No, but Jes is pregnant, you have two other kids… they'll worry."

"Okay… I'm gonna call Jes… if she wants to come down here… you get her here."

Voight nodded and Antonio left the office. He headed straight for the locker room, knowing that he needed to explain this all to Jes. He dialed her cell and prayed she'd pick up.

"Antonio?" She asked when she answered.

"Hey, Jes."

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"Antonio… I've spent close to a year with you now. I can tell when something's wrong." She answered. "What's going on?"

"It's bad."

"I figured as much, babe."

"A Narcotics deep cover cop is missing… they need me to go undercover… reach out to one of my old contacts… try and find out what happened to this cop."

"Antonio… you said no more UC work."

"Voight's not the one asking."

Jes groaned. "Where's this coming from then?"

"Ivory Tower."

"Shit."

"I know. Baby, I don't have much of a choice."

"How long are we talking here?" Jes was worried that this was going to be an extended assignment and Antonio didn't blame her.

"I can't give you an honest answer."

"Antonio… will you be here for when the baby comes?" Her voice was quaking.

"I will be there. That is one thing the Ivory Tower cannot take away from me."

"I want to see you."

"You'd have to come now." Antonio replied.

Jes said something to someone else near her and came back on the line. "I'm coming."

"What about…"

"I'm coming, Antonio. I'm not about to let you go deep cover without me getting to see you."

"I'm not gonna argue with a pregnant woman. I send Roman and Burgess to come pick you up."

"I love you, Antonio."

"I love you, too, baby. Don't… don't tell the kids yet."

"I won't."

He ended the call and put his cell away. He went to find Roman and Burgess to go pick up Jes and then set about to changing. Being Mike Diaz wasn't an easy feat, especially considering that he hadn't been him in almost 5 years.

He changed out of his nicer street clothes and into a rugged pair of jeans, red sweater, toque and a better winter coat than his usual leather one. He was putting his new ID in his wallet when Kevin came and gave him his UC phone. He explained to Antonio that it was all wired up and that was how the team would be listening in. Antonio then grabbed his stiletto knife from his sleeve and made sure it worked before sliding it back into its hiding place.

"Last time you went deep cover for Vice, you almost lost it." Voight came into the caged area.

"You've never had one foot over the ledge before?"

"I just need you to look me in the eye and tell me you're ready for this."

Antonio took his gun, checked the clip and pushed the clip into the gun. He put it in the holster that was in the back of his jeans while looking Voight straight in the eyes. "I'm ready."

Voight stared at him for a couple moments. He knew Antonio was ready for this, but at the same time he knew Antonio didn't want this. He didn't want this for Antonio either, but at this point, neither of them really had a choice. He let Antonio finish getting ready and headed upstairs to meet Jeslyn. He wanted to apologize to her for having to break his promise to them.

Antonio put himself in Mike Diaz's persona. He knew that Coop had gotten busted by CPD from his time as Diaz. He had to come up with a damn good story as to why he hadn't been around for the last 3 or 4 years. He also just wanted to see Jes. This was nuts. He knew it, but he also knew that he didn't have any more choice. A cop's life was on the line and all that mattered was getting him back.

Voight saw Jes walk into the District. "Jeslyn." He went to greet her.

"Hank." She brushed some snow out of her hair.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize, Hank. It's not your fault… you wouldn't be asking about this unless you had no other choice."

Hank smiled. "Antonio definitely won the lottery with you. A lot of cop wives aren't that understanding… even after their husbands have been on the job for a long time."

"Maybe it's because Antonio and I aren't married yet." Jes laughed lightly.

"I'll bring you to him. He's waiting for you."

"Thanks, Hank. I appreciate you letting me see him before…"

"This is his first case UC since you've been together right?"

"Well, that time he was under as a guard at MCC…" Jes said.

"That wasn't as deep as this one." Hank sighed. "He's using a cover he had back in his Vice days…"

"Oh…" Jes gasped. "Well… as long as he's as safe as possible… that's all that matters."

Hank patted her shoulder. "How's things with the baby?"

"Baby is very active and healthy." Jes smiled. "He or she definitely takes after Antonio in that department."

"Healthy baby is all that matters right?" Hank smiled.

"Yep. A little more than two months to go." She rubbed her belly.

"He's right through here." Hank said. "We'll take good care of him… Jay's gonna spend time with you… and so is Gaby. Antonio talked to her."

"I can stay home alone with the kids… I've been doing that for a while."

"Just… just take it, for me?" Hank asked.

"Okay… I'm not going to argue… mainly because I know I won't win."

"Antonio taught you well." Hank laughed. "I'll drive you back once you've spent some time with him."

"Thank you, Hank." Jes gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed into the roll out.

"Baby." Antonio ran to her as soon as she stepped into the roll out.

"Antonio." She hugged him tightly. "Oh."

"I'm here, babe. I'm here." He rubbed her back. "I'm…"

"I don't want to hear that you're sorry." Jes cut him off. "I knew this was the job. I knew that from the moment we met."

"This is different, Jes." Antonio said.

"Hank told me…"

"Baby…"

"Antonio… I love you… no matter what." She put her hands on his face. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Did Voight tell you that Jay and Gaby are going to be keeping an eye on you?"

"Yeah, he did. He also apologized to me. He really doesn't like this anymore than you do."

"I think you've converted our Sergeant, Jes." Antonio sighed.

"Well… he can't be a hard ass 100% of the time, now can he?"

"I guess not." He put his hand over her belly. "You better not have anything happen while I'm under."

"I'm not planning on anything." Jes answered. "This is the farthest I've gotten in a pregnancy… I plan on making it the full 9 months."

"I know." He pulled her tightly against him. He took a deep whiff of her scent. "I'm going to miss you."

"It's not like you're leaving the city, right?"

"No… but I can't come home to you at night. I have to stay at a flop house we have for this kinda thing… I can't call… I won't be able to feel you or hold you… until this is over."

Jes hadn't thought about that. At least when he had gone under at MCC he came home to her. "Not at all?"

"It's too risky." He said. He kissed the top of her head.

Jes sniffled. She knew she was going to cry and this time she really wished she could blame this on the hormones. "Antonio…"

"Jay is going to be on top of this… he can relay messages for us… he'll tell you everything… I made him swear that he would."

She lost it. "I can't lose you… Antonio… the kids… the baby…"

Antonio wiped her tears and rubbed her back. "I know… Jes… I swear… I'm gonna try and get what they need to take these guys down as fast as possible… but I can't guarantee a time frame. I don't want to miss anything… I don't… I don't want to leave you behind…" Even Antonio was getting teary eyed. This was so much harder now than when he had been married to Laura.

"Promise me you'll be safe."

"I promise. I promise I'm not taking a bullet and I'm not taking unnecessary risks." He kissed her deeply and passionately, as if it were the last time he'd ever get the chance. He knew the risks, but he didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. As careful as he could be, there was still a chance that he wasn't coming back from this alive.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio had gotten the information they needed for now. He had taken a hit to the face for something his cover had done back in the day, but he'd take a hit over not getting in deep enough to find out what had happened to the missing Narcotics guy. He went to crash back at his apartment that was owned by the CPD but used strictly by undercovers for things like this. It was a dump compared to the home he had built with Jes and the kids. There was nothing here. It was just an apartment. He stripped down and got into the cold bed. He longed to have Jes next to him. He longed to feel her warmth. He tried to sleep, but knew that it wouldn't be the same.

The next morning, he was meeting Voight, Commander Fischer and Lieutenant Guthrie in the park. It was far away from everything. He relayed the information to them from what he had gotten so far. It was then that he learned that Manning, the UC that was missing had most likely gotten caught because he'd skimmed 200,000$ from the crew. That was more than enough motive to want him dead. Antonio was tuning the majority of the conversation out. Voight and Guthrie were going at each other like rabid wolves. Finally, Fischer told Guthrie to take a hike.

Antonio stepped up to them. "Manning either skimmed from this crew and got killed for it, or they got him somewhere trying to get their money back. He knows if he tells 'em, he puts his wife in danger. "

He suggested pulling the crew in and leaning on them to get information on Manning.

"No, they won't give it up… not these guys. I can find out where Manning is. I just need more time."

Voight and Fischer looked to each other.

Antonio sighed. "Let me hit the lab with them tonight…"

Fischer looked back to Voight. "Your call."

Voight replied. "Yeah, give me a minute." He pulled Antonio aside. "Hey, bro… You all right?"

"Yeah. Fine." Antonio answered.

"Just tell me… when this is over… I won't be digging two graves. Not to mention having to comfort the mother of your children… and having to see her raise that baby by herself."

"I swear to you, Sarge… I'm fine. Just set it up with the lab that we can do this. I want to catch these bastards and get home to Jes and the kids."

Voight put his hand on Antonio's shoulder. "I know, bro. I know. Let's just get this over with."

Antonio sighed and rubbed his hands together. He would have to walk through the park to get back to his UC car, but at least he wouldn't be seen with Voight, Fischer and Guthrie. He headed out and waited for Coop to call him about where they were meeting for the hit.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay met Mouse at the entrance of the District. "So, just prove you know what you're doing so that my Sergeant will sign off on this… we need someone who can do the tech stuff and not necessarily have to do the whole police thing at the same time."

"What about my record?" Mouse asked.

"Voight isn't exactly a by the book kinda cop… so… yeah." Jay led him past Platt and headed upstairs. He sat Mouse at Ruzek's desk. Jay had to stifle his laughter as Mouse rambled off about tech stuff that went right over Adam and Kevin's heads. Then Mouse offered to tell some stories about Jay back when they were in the Rangers together. "Yeah, you won't though." Jay caught a glimpse of Voight from the corner of his eye. "Hey, Sarge. This is that guy I was telling you about… This is Greg Gerwitz, aka Mouse."

Voight went over Mouse's rap sheet to which Mouse had to fess up. Jay was worried that Voight was going to sink this possibility before they had a chance to test him out.

"Sarge, I know he doesn't look great on paper, but just wait 'til you see what he can do."

Mouse hit some keys on the keyboard and then asked Voight to check his phone. Voight was curious so he looked. Jay peeked over Voight's shoulder. Sure enough, Mouse had hacked Voight's cell and changed his background to a picture of himself.

Voight laughed. "Cute." He saw that the rest of the team was staring at him. "I'm fine with it but Platt still has to sign off on it." He turned and headed back to his office.

Jay high-fived Mouse and led him to meet Platt. He knew that as long as Mouse was honest, that was all that mattered to Platt.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio had met up with the rest of the crew. He was praying that Fulton Labs had gone onboard with this plan. He knew that if they did, it would be Intelligence there tonight and not their own guards. It was less risky that way. They pulled up and parked in the shadows. Parker signalled them to pull their masks down and they headed out. Antonio silently breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Jay in the security booth. Once Jay was stepping out of the booth, they made a run for him. Antonio tackled Jay and grabbed his key card. Warfield shoved his gun in Jay's back and made him move into the main building. Al was on the inside. Warfield hit Al in the head with the butt of his gun. They made Jay and Al stay down. Warfield was going to be watching them while Coop, Parker and Antonio went to lift the Oxy.

Antonio knew that the rest of the team and Narcotics had to be close by. He just hoped that a hopped up Warfield wouldn't get trigger happy. Neither Jay nor Al had protection on. They made it back to the security room in time to stop Warfield from pulling the trigger on Al.

"Fool's been eyeing me." Warfield shouted in his defense. "Can't leave him behind."

Antonio grabbed Jay. "Get up." He ripped off his ID badge. "We know who you are! This comes back on us… we'll hunt you down." He then punched Jay hard in the gut, causing him to fall to his knees, breathless. "We're outta here." Antonio picked up the bag loaded with Oxy and proceeded out of the door.

Once they were out, Al helped Jay to his feet. "You okay?"

Jay struggled to catch his breath. "I think he coulda eased up on that… fuck."

"He's probably getting back at you for the amount of times you hit him because of your sister." Al rubbed his head.

"We should get that checked out." Jay said. "Looks bad."

"I'll live… just don't piss Dawson off too much… he's liable to knock you out cold next time."

"Yeah… I know." He and Al headed out of Fulton Lab. Jay was heading home. He'd pop by Jes and Antonio's in the morning. For tonight, Gaby was spending the night there. He'd be there tomorrow night. He just hoped that Antonio would get what they needed fast. Jes was anxious, which definitely was not good for her, the baby or the kids. He also knew that Antonio wasn't happy with this arrangement, but this was now a matter of time versus just busting the crew. Until they knew that Manning was safe or where his body was, Antonio would just have to keep playing the role.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Three days passed and there still wasn't any news. Mouse had proven his worth and they had gotten more information on Parker and his operations than Narcotics had ever had. Ruzek and Atwater were in the van keeping tabs on Antonio and the wire. Things went bad fast when Antonio's wire and cell went dead. They called Voight. He sent Erin and Al to go talk to Manning's side girl to see if they knew where they'd take Antonio or Parker. They got what they needed from her, but they had no clue if they would get there in time to save Manning and Antonio.

 **Meanwhile…**

Antonio had found Manning, but now Parker was wanting him to kill him. Manning had lost it and blew his own cover. Antonio didn't know if Intelligence knew where he was or if they even could have a clue. He tried to draw it out and get Manning out of there without having to kill a fellow officer. If he was dirty or not, that wasn't his problem. He had delayed too long because the next thing he knew, Warfield had his gun to the back of his head and Parker was calling him a cop. Coop was freaking out. Antonio knew that this time was the last time he could ever be Mike Diaz. This cover was blown.

All of a sudden, Voight was shouting from the top of the stairs in the warehouse. "CHICAGO PD!"

Parker and Warfield didn't hesitate to open fire. One of the bullets hit Voight in the arm. Ruzek stopped but Voight told him that he was fine and to keep going. It was an all-out firefight. Antonio and Parker ended up in the elevator where Manning was being kept. Coop was on the ground trying not to get hit. Warfield was hiding behind a stack of metal. Antonio waited for the right time. When Parker was busy checking his gun, Antonio slid his stiletto from his sleeve, opened it and jammed it into Parker's neck. He pulled it out and Parker was gone. It was then that Coop's eyes widened in realization that Antonio was really a cop. Antonio went to release Manning. "CPD. Intelligence."

Manning looked relieved, but Antonio suspected that he was dirty. He didn't care. He wanted to get home to Jes. He hadn't had to be under for long but it was a little over a week since he'd seen her or the kids. He just wanted to be with them again.

Once they were back at the district, Antonio and Ruzek tried to talk to Coop. They were trying to get him a deal, but Coop, feeling the betrayal, refused to speak to Antonio. Antonio left the room and went to the locker room. He was beat. He changed and headed home to spend time with Jes and the kids.

Jay met Erin in the locker room. They both knew that whatever was happening between them was getting too complicated to hide from Voight. At this point, they both knew that Voight knew about their relationship. Neither of them wanted to end it, but they also didn't want to leave Intelligence. It was the best detail in the district, actually in the whole city. Jay wanted to go talk to Voight, to tell him man-to-man that he and Erin were together and there wasn't anything Voight could do about it.

Erin stopped him. "Jay…I wish it was it was that easy. You know it's different for me."

Jay just sighed. He was hurting. "I understand." He put his hand to her face. He didn't want to cry. He loved her. It wasn't just some fling. It wasn't just a crush. It was real. They had something that was real and that was all that mattered. "So, we'll cool it." He said. "But we'll always have each other's back." Jay could see that this wasn't any easier for Erin.

"Always." She said, her voice cracking.

"Alright. That's good enough for now." He whispered. He turned and left. He went to find Mouse in the tech room and prayed that the beer he had hidden there was still there. He needed it tonight.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio and Jes had taken the kids to the outdoor rink. It was the last weekend that it was open. It had reopened one last time because of the wonky weather they had been having. He was smiling as Eva was trying to teach Diego how to skate. He put his arm around Jes. "You ever skate?" He asked.

Jes laughed. "You're funny."

"What? You're from Canada… doesn't everyone skate there?"

"I tend to fall on my ass more than stay upright… I'd be the adult penguin on the ice with a chair to stabilize myself."

Antonio couldn't help himself. He laughed. Jes whacked his arms. "I'm sorry, baby. It's… it's just a funny image."

Jes groaned. "Uh huh."

Antonio looked to the kids. "Let's see a twirl!" He grinned as Eva did a perfect spin.

She skated over to him. "Aren't you coming?"

"Naw… I'm gonna stay here with Jes… You keep teaching your brother."

She laughed and headed back to where Diego was struggling to stay upright.

Jes commented. "He looks like a newborn calf trying to get used to having legs."

"Yeah… well… I looked like that too when I started off. I can skate pretty decently now… not as good as Eva… but decently."

Jes smiled. She put her arm through his. "I missed you."

"Oh, baby… I missed you too." He kissed her. Over her shoulder, he could see Voight walking towards them.

"Hello." Voight greeted them.

Jes went to hug him. "Hi Hank… woah! What happened?"

Voight looked at his arm. "I'll be fine… nothing major."

"You get that getting Antonio out?" Jes asked.

Voight shrugged. "It was worth it. Case is solved… you get him back… we all move on."

Antonio asked. "What's the prognosis?"

Voight replied. "Gotta wear this stupid thing…" Motioning to the sling. "For a couple weeks."

The three of them just watched Eva and Diego for a little bit before Antonio turned his back on the rink and faced Voight. "You know what puts you on that ledge?"

Voight just stared at him.

"You start to forget who's who." He pointed to the kids, then put his hand on Jes' stomach. "They're the reason I never went over… and the reason I'll never go over."

Voight smiled. The three of them just stood and watched as Diego and Eva skated around. Right now, there was peace. Right now, there was nothing that could ruin this. Voight looked at Jes and Antonio's happiness. He saw that same happiness with Justin and Olive. They were getting married right away, and the baby would be here soon. He couldn't believe how much things had changed. He looked up to the stars, knowing that his wife, Camille, was watching down over them.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… there we go. Getting ever closer to the baby… and to more Will and Med characters… note that this story does follow the episodes… more or less. This chapter contains parts of Episodes 15 and 16 from season 2. Please read and review. I really love reading them and using them to make the story better! All the best… and Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers! Love, Nicole**_


	34. In Your Arms

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* * *

Jes was busy folding laundry when her phone began to ring. It was in the kitchen, and she was in the living room. "Eva? Diego? Can one of you go get that?"

"Got it!" Diego shouted.

Jes was thankful that the kids had adjusted so well to everything that had happened in the last year. She was about to get off the couch to go meet Diego when he came sliding into the living room.

He extended her phone to her. "It's Uncle Will."

"Thanks, Diego. Can you and your sister decide what we're doing for lunch?"

"Sure thing, Mom."

"So, 'Mom'…" Will teased her. "How are things going out there?"

"Will, come on. They've been calling me that since before Christmas." Jes sighed.

"I know. I just love hearing them say it. You're kicking ass in this mom thing."

"Thanks, Will… so what's up?"

"Can't a guy check up on his baby sister?"

"You can, but you usually call on Monday nights… it's Friday."

"Well… I could ask why P2K isn't open today…"

Jes groaned. "Don't remind me."

"What's up?"

"It's all these…"

 **DING DONG!**

"Hang on, Will… someone's at the door." Jes struggled to get off the couch. She was suddenly beginning to understand that being pregnant meant taking a lot more time to move around and get places.

"I got it, Mom!" Eva called.

"Thank you!" Jes still had to get up.

"Uncle Will?" Eva's surprised voice echoed into the living room.

Jes looked at her phone and made her way to the door.

Will poked his head around the corner. "Hey!"

Jes hung up the call and shook her head. "You are a brat."

"Jay told me that this is a good way to get you going." He put down his bag and came over to hug her. "How are you?"

"I'm good… big like a house, but good." Jes patted her pregnant belly. "Your niece or nephew is going to be huge."

Will rubbed her belly. "You sure it's only one?"

Jes smacked his arm. "My OB assured me that there is a single baby in there and he or she is growing and is healthy."

"How far along are you?"

"7-months tomorrow."

"I haven't seen that many 7-month pregnant women this big before."

"How long has it been since you did your OB rotation in Med School?" Jes put her hands on her hips.

"Long enough."

"There you go." Jes laughed. "You just visiting?"

"Uh… something like that?"

"Ooookay then?" Jes arched an eyebrow. "Well… you're just in time for lunch… Come to the kitchen, you can help the kids and I make some food."

"How about you sit and watch us cook?" Will offered.

"Just don't burn our house down." Jes laughed.

They headed into the kitchen. Diego had already set the table and Eva had gotten back to washing some fresh veggies for a salad.

Diego smiled. "Hey! Uncle Will! How's it going?"

Will gave him a high-five. "Not bad. How about you?"

"Good, Uncle Jay says he wishes he'd paid attention to his math classes when he was younger." Diego laughed.

Will scratched his head. "Why?"

"Diego and Jay made a bet back at Christmas… they were playing Battleship, or something, on the plane home… Jay bet Diego that he could beat him in the most games. Wager was: Diego wins… Jay has to help him with Math until the end of the year."

"What was the wager if Diego had lost?" Will wondered.

"I had to clean his car all summer." Diego laughed. "He's predictable though for that game. He always puts them in the same place."

Will laughed. "Well, he hasn't changed."

Jes nodded. "Nope. He played that way back when I first moved in with them. So, what's for lunch?"

Diego pointed outside. "I've got some BBQ chicken breast on the grill… Eva made a salad and I pulled out that crumble from the freezer… Should we put it in the oven?"

Jes was beaming. "Sure… no higher than 325 though."

Diego set the temperature on the oven and went to pull the chicken off the grill. He put the chicken on the table. Eva pulled out different dressings from fridge. Jes sat at the table and watched them. She was extremely proud at how far they've come since they'd moved back in with Antonio. They were more outgoing and happy. They had also begun to be more self-reliant. Jes and Antonio didn't need to ask them for help doing chores anymore. It was almost like they had become a well-oiled machine.

"Let's eat!" Diego said as he put the mixed berry crumble into the oven.

They sat down and Will served the salad and chicken to everyone. They enjoyed their meal and discussed a lot of the changes that had happened in the last while.

"So, Jes… how long have you and Antonio been together now?"

"Almost a year." Jes smiled. "Antonio protected me when I came back and Jay had a target on his back because he's a good cop."

"I see." Will took a sip of his lemonade.

"Don't go all big brother on me, Will… I've been through enough with Jay, I don't need that again."

"Hey, just curious… when's Antonio's birthday?" Will asked. "You said you two officially started seeing each other right after your birthday. Your birthday is July 1."

Jes laughed. "Yeah, I know…" She froze. "Oh my God… I'm a horrible human being! I can't remember when his birthday is!"

Eva patted her hand. "It's okay, Mom. Dad never really made a big deal about his birthday…"

"Mainly, because he wasn't usually around…" Diego added.

"His birthday's at the end of May… May 24." Eva smiled. "Hey, can we do a surprise birthday for him? We kinda feel bad about not having a birthday for him last year…"

"Why?" Will asked.

"Our birth mom… took us away on his birthday last year."

Jes gasped. "That's horrible! Now I can see why he doesn't want to make a big deal about his birthday. That… well… we will plan him a big party this year. He's gonna be 37… we'll make up for last year."

"Sweet!" Diego exclaimed. The oven timer dinged. "I'll get it!"

"Be careful, Diego… I don't want to have to take you to the hospital today."

"I won't burn myself… but even if I did, Uncle Will could fix me up."

"I am a doctor." Will batted his eyes at his sister.

Jes just shook her head. "You guys are brats sometimes."

"Where is my future brother-in-law, anyhow?"

"I was trying to tell you that when you rang the bell… He's working… that big trade conference that's in town?"

"Yeah…"

"He's going undercover with the rest of Intelligence to try and see if there are any real threats from some of these protest groups."

"Is the trade conference also the reason why you're not at P2K?"

Jes nodded. "It's too close to some of the locations of the talks and there are a bunch of protesters blocking the streets in and out of there."

"So, Jay and Antonio… they're all working on this thing?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. Basically, it's what the Ivory Tower handed down to them. They're unknown, so they can blend in easier than most other cops."

"Ah, well… it makes sense… the easier you blend in, the easier it is to get information."

"Yeah… have you talked to Jay?" Jes sipped her lemonade.

"Not since I told him I'd be coming in next week."

"Wait… you didn't tell him you came in early?" Jes was surprised. Since Jay and Will had made up, they didn't hide anything from each other anymore.

"I… uh… I didn't want a speech."

"For what?"

He just poured himself more lemonade.

Jes looked to Eva and Diego. "Can you guys take your serving of crumble and go eat it in the family room… Uncle Will and I have some things to talk about."

"Sure, Mom." Eva grabbed her bowl and Diego's and headed to the family room.

"What about the dishes?" Diego asked.

"I'll get them, buddy." Will smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Diego wasn't going to complain. He knew that clearing dishes was his assigned chore, but if someone else was volunteering, he was okay with that. He took off after Eva.

Jes turned to face her oldest brother. "Okay… what's really going on?"

"You're really not going to buy the 'I came to visit my family' reason, are you?"

Jes shook her head. "Come on… Will… you know me better than that."

"I… I got fired from the practice in New York."

"You WHAT?!" Jes almost spat out her lemonade. "Will!"

"Jes, it… it just wasn't for me anymore."

"Well… where are you staying?"

"I'm hoping to crash at Jay's place."

"What about here?"

"I'm not going to be a pain in the ass to my very pregnant sister."

"Will, it's not that much of an inconvenience."

"Jes… trust me… it's okay. If Jay says 'no' then… I'll come stay here."

"Okay, that works for me." Jes grinned. "Eat your crumble before it gets ice cold."

"Yes, mom." Will laughed.

* * *

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* * *

They were waiting for Voight to get off the phone to go over their intel. Antonio was wiped. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in close to a week because of these 'protesters'. He at least had an easy enough group to follow. He looked over at Jay. He was rubbing hand sanitizer on his hands and forearms for the third time. Whatever he had gotten stuck doing must've been way worse that Antonio's detail. Adam looked like he blended right in with the rest of these wannabe activists.

Voight finally came out of his office as Nadia approached him with a white gift bag.

"This was just delivered for you." She handed him the bag.

Voight read the card while Erin asked. "Who's it from?"

"Olivia Benson. Special Victims Unit, New York." Nadia replied.

Voight handed Nadia the bag. "Hey, put this in my office, would ya?"

Nadia nodded and took the bag into his office.

"How long you gonna milk that flesh wound?" Antonio asked, nodding to Voight's brace.

Erin joined in. "Yeah, you collecting disability now?"

The rest of the team was laughing. They didn't get a chance to bug Voight very often, so when they did, they took the opportunity.

Voight scratched his chin. "Doc says it comes off in a few days. Anyone else wanna try out for Second City… or can we get down to business?"

The laughter stopped and attention was put on the whiteboard by Voight's office door.

"Good. Downtown is a mess with protesters. This World Trade Conference kicks off tomorrow, and HQ's on my back about threat reports. So where are we?"

Al started off by explaining his crew had made banners but the only risk they posed was to depleting Chicago's marijuana supply.

Antonio snickered to himself before asking. "Al, let me see your eyes."

Al turned to face him, made a silly face and replied. "I'm just getting over some hay fever."

"Uh huh." Antonio nodded. He highly doubted that Al had avoided taking a hit off the bong with one off those wannabe anarchists, though, being in a windowless van with them could be enough to get him high.

Adam took the chance to sniff Al's hat. He grimaced at the strong scent of pot emanating from the hat. Jay then explained his group. It had involved them collecting human waste in buckets. The rest of the team just stared at him.

"That's disgusting." Erin said, grimacing.

Jay grabbed the bottle of hand sanitizer again. Antonio understood now why he'd been using so much of it. Adam explained his group, The Black Grid, had plans to throw oil on the attendees of the Conference. Voight told them to gather their files so they could go to threat assessment meeting.

Antonio called Jes really quick. "Hey babe."

"Hey you!" Jes laughed. "You gonna be home for supper?"

"Not likely… have a threat assessment meeting… those can drag out." He sighed.

"Will you be home to come to bed?"

"I want to say yes, but if I'm not… don't wait up… I'll be home when I can."

"Can you promise that you'll be safe?"

Antonio laughed. "That I can promise you. Generally, the Brass aren't that scary."

"Okay… oh! Hey… umm… since you guys are so deep in a case… can I ask a favour… well two?"

"Shoot."

"One- can Will stay here tonight?"

"Uh… sure… why is Wi…"

"Shh! That's the second thing… Jay can't know."

"Why not?" He whispered. He looked up and saw that Jay had headed downstairs already.

"Because… he wants to surprise him… so, can you not tell him and he can stay here tonight?" Jes pleaded.

"Yeah, baby. Sure. Is the guest room tidy?"

"The kids are cleaning it right now… they've been told that for now, making sure the house is clean is their responsibility."

"Is that because you don't want to go into pre-term labour… or because they trashed the guestroom?"

"A little bit of both." Jes admitted.

"Well… good… Enjoy time with… well… anyhow… and remember… don't leave the house unless you absolutely need to tomorrow or the rest of the weekend."

"I know… Trust me… I've experienced my share of protests and shit like this."

"I'm not even going to ask how." Antonio laughed.

"Hey! 'Tonio! Let's go!" Voight shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming!" Antonio called back. "Look, Jes… I gotta go."

"I heard. Be safe. Love you." She blew a kiss over the line.

"Love you more. I'll see you soon."

* * *

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* * *

Jes put her phone to charge. "Alright kids… so Dad's gonna be late… so we're on our own… I'm thinking of mushroom pork chops with rice and coleslaw."

"Sounds good." Will said.

"Woah! Where are the kids?"

"Something about having to wash the bedding in the guest room?" Will answered. "What can I do to help?"

"You can get the pork chops out of the fridge." Jes smiled. "I'm going to get my seasoning blend going."

"So, you're still like an Iron Chef?"

Jes' cheeks flooded with colour. "I'm not exactly Cat Cora."

"No… but I've never had food better than yours except when Mom was alive."

"Where do you think I learned to cook?" She laughed as she crushed some garlic.

"I know. She'd be proud of you… you know that, right?" Will put the pork chop packet on the counter.

Jes smiled, but her eyes held a certain sadness. "I know… Jay says that all the time."

"Because it's true, Jes. I… I'm sorry I was so hard on you when Mom first took you in…"

Jes put her hands on his chest. "Will, that's water under the bridge… we can start over… you can be a part of my kids' lives… you'll be there for the wedding… it's a clean slate."

He smiled. "Why is it that you've always been the 'glass half-full' person?"

"Because I had to be that way to survive… and just so you know… I'm pretty sure our mom would've chastised the hell out of me for getting pregnant before getting married."

Will snorted. "Okay, yeah… you're probably right there. It's okay… she would've gotten over it the instant she saw an ultrasound picture."

Jes laughed. "Yeah… that's very… ooo!" Her hand flew to her back. "Kidney shot! Ouch."

Will knelt down. He spoke directly to her belly. "Hey, little buddy… can you stop attacking mommy's kidney… we're trying to have a conversation here."

Jes laughed some more. "Will… stop… my ribs are going to starting hurting."

"Sorry." He unwrapped the pork chops. "Damn! Sis… where'd you get these?"

Jes grinned. "You and Jay all had your connections all the time… I've got mine when it comes to food."

He lifted one of the pork chops off the paper. "Holy… these are like huge!"

Jes snickered. "They have to be to stay juicy… just… give them here… they need to be rubbed before I put them in the pan." She took the pack from him. "Can you go in the pantry and pull out a carton of mushroom broth?"

Will stared at her. "They make mushroom broth now?"

"Oh, Will… please? It has a big red label that says 'mushroom broth'."

Will nodded and went into the pantry to get the broth. Jes liberally seasoned the pork chops and set to heating up her cast iron pan to sear them. Will returned with the mushroom broth and a bag of rice.

"I'm taking if we're having rice with this, I should pull the rice out too?"

Jes nodded. "Yep. Okay measure out 3 cups of water and 3 cups of broth, then get it on the stove. I'll measure the rice and rinse it."

"Rinse the rice?" Will asked as he measure the water.

"It makes it not clumpy and sticky… just trust me?"

"Okay…"

"Hey, Mom!" Eva greeted them. "What can we do to help?"

Jes smiled. "Can you pull out the mushrooms from the fridge? We have portabellas, creminis and shiitakes. Get some of each. Rinse them and pat them dry. Then you can do nice slices of them." She looked around. "Where's your brother?"

"Ummm… he kinda overfilled the soap in the washer… so he's cleaning up all the bubbles."

Jes groaned. "Okay… well… at least it's being cleaned. Once you're done with the mushrooms." She put the rice on the counter, ready to be added to boiling water. "You and Uncle Will can set the table and make some of the juice that's in the freezer."

Eva nodded and set to doing the prep. Unlike more teens, she actually wanted to spend time with Jes and her Dad. She was even looking forward to having a new baby in the family. A lot of her friends kept telling her that she was crazy. They told her that she'd be pushed aside once the baby was here. Eva knew that wasn't true. The way that Jes was with her and Diego, that showed them that she cared as much about them as she did about the baby. Their dad was the same way. This was the family that she had wanted all along. A family that did things together and shared stuff. This was her happy place. She rinsed the mushrooms like Jes had asked and set to cutting them like she had learned at P2K. Once they were cut, she put them in a bowl and washed her hands. She then grabbed the plates while Will counted out the utensils.

Jes was making the mushroom sauce when Diego reappeared. "Eva already told me."

"Sorry, Mom." He hung his head. "I didn't realize it poured so fast… and that we didn't need that much soap in one of those new machines."

Jes gave him a side hug. "Buddy, that's part of learning. It's normal. I'm not mad… I'm happy that you realized your mistake and you cleaned it up."

Diego smiled. "Thanks… so Dad's not gonna be home?"

"Sadly… the Ivory Tower needs him for a while. He said he'd try to be home before bedtime, but didn't make any guarantees."

Diego sighed. "Okay."

"Hey, you know that he'd be here if he had a choice in the matter, right?" Jes patted his head.

"I know. I just was hoping to see him once this week before bed."

"I know…" She hugged him tightly. "Once this conference is over, we'll go back to more of normal routine."

"Thanks Mom." Diego smiled. "Smells good."

"It's just about ready. Can you put the glasses on the table and we'll eat?" Jes started putting the pots and pans on the counter.

* * *

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* * *

The kids cleaned up the kitchen while Will helped Jes to the living room. She was beat. She put her feet up on the ottoman.

"You look wiped." Will said sitting across from her.

She nodded. "The baby takes a lot out of me… plus I'm not a person who can just lounge around all day until he or she makes their arrival."

"You should lounge around a little more than you do though… otherwise… you could deliver a lot sooner than you'd like."

Jes glared at him. "It's not like I'm running a marathon."

"If you did that, I'd have you committed." Will laughed. "So, how goes the wedding plans?"

"Well… the dresses, suits and menu are dealt with. We've spoken with a few photographers over Skype and there are two that really have what we're looking for… so we'll see. Um, Church agreement is signed and the money sent… same with the hall… now flowers is the next thing."

"How are you going to do that if you're here and they're over there?"

Jes leaned back. "Well… some of them have sister shops here… others have online… I've got a Skype date with one boutique tomorrow."

"Skype?"

"Well, it's the only way I'm going to get anything done while here… and I can't wait until we get back there and only give them two months to get what I need."

Will sighed. "Well, I guess whatever works." He thought about it. "What about cake?"

"Antonio and I are still debating that."

"Well, what's to be debated?" He tossed a pillow to her to put behind her back.

"Flavour, for one. The other thing is… I don't want a huge wedding cake. I saw this really awesome idea on Pinterest…" Jes watched as her big brother rolled his eyes. "Seriously? What's wrong with Pinterest?"

"So many things could go wrong, Jes… not everything on there is done by amateurs."

"I'm not hiring an amateur baker to make my cake… I'm getting professionals."

"Okay… Okay." Will surrendered. "What's the Pinterest idea?"

"Have a small two-layer cake for the purpose of cutting the cake and having the anniversary layer… then have mini cupcakes or cake pops around like the layers of a bigger cake." She grabbed her phone from the coffee table. She pulled up her Pinterest page and showed up him the idea.

Diego and Eva popped up behind him and looked at the pictures. "That's cool."

"See." Jes smirked.

Will shrugged. "Cake is cake is cake… but whatever you want."

"I want carrot cake for the main one… then I want chocolate and maybe vanilla or red velvet for the other ones."

"Can you do all three other flavours?" Eva asked.

"I hadn't thought about that." Jes answered. "If Antonio says yes, then I'm totally okay with that."

Eva and Diego looked to each other. "We can convince him."

"You kids can do that tomorrow." Jes pointed to the clock on the wall. "Go get ready for bed and get your half hour of reading done, please and thank you."

"But… Mom… Uncle Will's here!" Diego protested.

"Diego." Jes said. "Uncle Will's here for a while. He'll be here when you get up."

"Promise." Will put his hand on Diego's shoulder. "Go do what your mom asked and I promise you that we will have an awesome breakfast together."

Diego's mood changed. "Okay."

Will messed up Diego's hair. "Better… now… get going."

Eva and Diego wished the adults a good night and headed to their rooms.

Will turned to Jes. "Half an hour of reading before bed? Really?"

"Kids don't read enough today." Jes said. "It's all about the technology and social media… so, Antonio and I enforce some old school traditions."

"Well… Mom definitely rubbed off on you in that department. Jay and I hated that 30 minutes."

"I loved it. Diego is getting used to it… Eva loves it. If she had her way, she'd read for a couple hours before bed."

"Well, I have to say, sis… you've got great kids… you're rocking it."

"There are days that I don't feel that way." Jes sighed. "Sometimes, the hormones get the best of me. The other day I had a meltdown because I was missing my dad."

"Jes, you're human… you're not an emotionless robot… pregnancy… well… it just heightens those emotions and feelings."

"I know, Will… I just wish…"

"I know. I wish Mom was here to see all of this too."

"She'd be really happy that you and Jay are speaking to each other again."

Will came and sat next to her. "She's be proud of all of us… and what we've accomplished… I also think she'd be super happy that you would've made her a grandma."

Jes laughed. "Yeah… and she'd be nagging you and Jay to hop on the baby bandwagon."

"Yep."

"Hey, Will… I have an idea for the wedding."

"Shoot."

"Can we get a special frame? Put both my moms' pictures, along with my dad's and grandparents' and Antonio's grandparents in it?"

"I don't see why not… just trying to follow your train of thought."

"They can't physically be here for the wedding… but they'll be there in spirit."

Will smiled. "That's an amazing idea… I'll start working on getting those pictures and I'll look into getting a frame."

Jes hugged her brother. "Thanks, Will."

"No problem… you should go to bed."

"It's barely 10." Jes countered. "I'm usually up until at least midnight."

"Jes… this is the doctor here… you need more rest… for the baby's sake."

"If I go to my room and read… but not sleep… will that be better?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Sure. Just don't overdo it." He could see some worry clouding her eyes. "You stay up until Antonio comes home, don't you?"

Jes nodded. "I need to know that he's safe."

"I know, but Jes… baby… remember…" He rubbed her belly. "Baby needs to be the focus too."

"I know." Jes groaned. "Fine… I'll try to go to sleep. Can you help me up?"

Will got up and extended his hands. He helped Jes get off the couch and to her room.

"I can walk to my room." Jes smirked.

"I'm helping. Quit your whining." He laughed. He hugged her tightly. "Love you."

"Love you too." She kissed his cheek. "Don't stay up too late… Diego is up at the crack of dawn usually."

"Got it." Will winked at her and headed back to the family room.

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* * *

Antonio pulled into the driveway. He was beat. He looked at his watch. It was close to three in the morning. He groaned. Jes was probably still waiting for him. The protestors were now the least of their worries. They had a murder that happened in the suite of a foreign dignitary and the FBI weren't being extremely helpful. He grabbed his bag and headed in the house. He could see a light on in the family room. He locked the door and set the alarm. "Jes? I'm home." He called into the family room.

"Jes is sleeping." Will stretched. "I sent her to bed about 5 hours ago."

"She went to bed… willingly… at 10?" Antonio yawned.

"Not exactly willingly… but I reminded her that the baby needs her to sleep more."

"You managed to do more in that department than I ever could. She usually insists on staying up 'til I'm home." Antonio sat in the rocking chair. "She worries."

"She does." Will agreed. "But, I think that for now… she needs to keep rested… she's getting close to that danger-zone that could be an early delivery."

"I know." Antonio sighed. "I really am trying to get home sooner… I'm not doing dangerous undercover work anymore either."

"She told me about that last case."

"I knew she would." Antonio said. "So… what she wouldn't tell me… is why you're here and why you don't want Jay to know, yet."

It was Will's turn to sigh. "Because… Jay will flip his shit."

"Well, talk to me… I'm sorta unbiased… you're not my brother… yet."

"True… but not a word of this to Jes or Jay."

"Deal."

Will took a deep breath. "Shit hit the fan back in New York… I kinda got kicked out of the practice I belonged to."

"Shit."

"Yeah… so, I had originally planned on coming down here for a visit… but now I'm going to be job hunting."

"You want to move back?" Antonio was surprised. From what Jay and Jes had said, Will was a playboy surgeon who really liked doing his plastic surgery.

"Yeah… turns out plastic surgery isn't that rewarding." Will stretched a little. "I did Doctors Without Borders and that was rewarding…"

"Why'd you quit?" Antonio was curious.

"I met a girl… she broke my heart… I took the coward's way out and partied then went into the plastic surgery stuff."

"Ahh."

"Yeah… so Jay said you served?"

Antonio nodded. "Marines. Did 4 years, then switched to CPD…"

"Which is more rewarding?"

"They both have their pros and cons… but being able to better my city… protect my kids from the drugs and gangs… that's a pretty big thing… plus, I generally get to come home every night and be with my family."

"Just, try not to get shot again."

Antonio hung his head. "I don't do it on purpose."

"Well… the last time, you kinda did… you threw yourself over your family." Will pointed out.

"Wouldn't you do that?" Antonio countered.

Will didn't need to think about. "Yeah. I would… 'cept, I've never been shot before and I'm not married, nor do I have kids."

"Yet." Antonio laughed.

"I'm not the 'settlin' down' type of guy."

"You say that now." Antonio grinned.

Will shrugged. "We'll see." He yawned. "We should probably hit the hay… I promised Diego we'd make an awesome breakfast together."

"Ah… then have a good night… I'll see you later." Antonio fist-bumped his future brother-in-law and headed to his room.

When he got in the room, the dim night light on Jes' side of the bed was still on. Jes was curled up on his pillow and her iPad was on the bed. Antonio went and took the iPad and put it on the dresser. He quickly stripped down, turned off the lamp and crawled into bed. He wrapped his arms around Jes and inhaled her scent. This was where he should've been hours ago. He could feel the baby moving. He smiled. It was only a couple more months and their baby would be here. He couldn't wait to get time off so he could spend time with his family. He took Jes' left hand and played with her engagement ring. _'Few more months… and she'll be my wife.'_ Antonio thought. He kissed her cheek and drifted off.

* * *

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* * *

Jes spent the majority of her day prepping different meals that would be put in the freezer to be pulled out later. Will had kept his promise to Diego and they had made breakfast together. Eva was spending her day finishing up her assignments so she could do her final exams ahead of time. She wanted to be done in time to help Jes in the last part of the pregnancy. She was also secretly working with her dad and brother to get the baby's room ready for when the baby came. Diego's job was to keep Jes busy and help her in the kitchen. Later, when Jes would go take a nap (per Will's orders), they'd switch out. It was the only way they could keep the whole thing a surprise for Jes.

While Jes was napping, Antonio and Jay came home.

"Hey, Dad… Uncle Jay." Eva greeted them.

"Where's Mom?" Antonio asked.

"Sleeping." Eva replied. "She's under Doctor's orders…"

"It's okay, Eva… I know Will's in town… He'll be by later to pick up his stuff… He's going to stay at my place for a while."

"Oh." Eva exclaimed. "Okay… so yeah… aren't you guys supposed to be at work?"

"Well… we were… then we got sent back… I need to change clothes…"

"The protests?" Eva asked.

Jay and Antonio exchanged glances. "How do you…?"

"The walls aren't as soundproof as you and Mom think, Dad."

Antonio gulped. "Oh… okay… yeah… I just need to grab my suit… gotta try and fool the bad guys."

"Well, be careful… Mom is napping.." Eva said. "By the way… the baby project… almost done."

"Good." Antonio high-fived her. "Let me know if you guys need anything tonight."

"Will you be home for supper?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah… and I'm bringing supper… so make sure Mom doesn't cook anything."

Eva nodded. "Got it." She hugged her father and uncle. "Be safe."

"You sound like Jes." Jay laughed.

"Someone has to tell you." Eva put her hands on her hips.

"Yep… exactly like Jes." Jay shook his head. "Uh… Will said we should have a family meal… so we'll pop by for the meal?"

"I'll make sure the table is set and stuff… can you at least call before so I don't set the table and you don't show up for two hours."

"Attitude, Eva." Antonio warned.

"Sorry, Dad."

He kissed the top of her head. "Behave and I'll call when we're on our way."

"Love you."

"Love you too." He smiled. "I'll talk to you later." He went to the bedroom, grabbed his suit and headed to the bathroom to change. He reappeared. "Bodyguard enough?"

Jay whistled. "I'd buy it… just do something about the hair."

Antonio ran to the bathroom and slicked his hair back. He also took his earring out and left it in the small jewelry box he kept in the bathroom drawer. "Okay… let's go."

* * *

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* * *

Jes woke up a couple hours later. She was feeling better, other than her bladder being continuously used as a soccer ball. She went into the kitchen. "Eva, where's Diego?"

"Doing school stuff." Eva replied as she loaded the dishwasher.

"What are you doing?"

"Loading the dishwasher and finishing the rest of the dishes."

"I can do that."

"Uncle Will said no. So did Dad, Uncle Jay, Tia Gaby, Abuela, Abuelo, Jacquie and Kevin…"

"I get it… I get it." Jes pulled out one of the bar stools and sat down. "Did Dad come home?"

Eva nodded. "Yeah. To change. He needed his suit and stuff."

Jes scratched her head. "Why?"

"He had to pretend to be a bodyguard."

"Oh."

"How did you know that Dad came home?"

"There was clothes in the hamper." Jes said. "The hamper was empty when I went for my nap."

"Oh. Haha." Eva smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a blimp." Jes rubbed her belly. "Your little brother or sister is super active today."

"That's a good thing, right?" Eva asked putting the detergent pod in the dishwasher and set it to wash.

"According to the doctor, it is. I don't know… I guess I'm just anxious."

"Oh… Uncle Jay knows Uncle Will is here… he came and got his stuff and he's going to be staying at Uncle Jay's apartment."

"Why didn't anyone come wake me up?" Jes asked.

"Because you were sleeping."

"I'm not dying… I'm pregnant." Jes said.

Eva shrugged. "I wasn't about to argue with two detectives and a doctor."

Jes shook her head. "I'm going to have to have a talk with your uncles and your father."

"You can do it over dinner… Dad said he's bringing supper home tonight… and Uncle Jay said that he and Uncle Will will be coming too."

"Oh… did Dad say what we're having?"

Eva shook her head. "Nope… just told me not to let you cook."

* * *

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* * *

Jay got home after that shift. He was beat, but he had promised Antonio that he and Will would be joining them for a family supper. He walked into the kitchen to see Will bent over in the fridge.

"Hey, I thought I told you we're going over to have supper with Jes, Antonio and the kids?"

Will turned around. "I know."

"What the fuck? What the hell happened, man?" Jay put his jacket down on the counter.

"Uh… I never told you or Jes the real reason for leaving New York." Will held a bag of frozen peas over his eye. He had a cut lip, black eye and there seemed to be blood caked in his hair.

"Uh… no, obviously not." Jay crossed his arms. "You're gonna tell me now, then we're gonna clean you up, go get some beers and head to Antonio's… or else our sister is going to have a conniption fit."

"Conniption fit? Who are you? Grandad?"

Jay snorted. "Start talking… I'm gonna get the first aid kit."

Will went on to explain how he'd managed to piss off the wrong man by hitting on his girlfriend. Said man was in a bar where Will was meeting with friends and a massive brawl erupted. Will got out before the cops got there, but he still had the battle scars.

"Still doesn't explain New York." Jay cleaned the cut on Will's lip.

"Ouch!" Will hissed. "That burns."

"No shit, Doc… it's antiseptic… it's supposed to clean the wound… I thought you went to Med school?"

"Hardee harhar." Will mocked him.

"Seriously… why'd you leave New York?"

Will sighed. "I screwed up… I slept with one of the doc's girlfriends… didn't know she was dating him… he found out… that and a patient sued."

"Well, that's 50 shades of messed up." Jay put the first aid kit away.

"Yup."

"So, you can't go back?"

"I don't know… I might just stick around here."

"Did you tell Jes?"

Will shook his head. "No. I didn't want to upset her."

"Good plan." Jay patted his older brother's shoulder. "Let's go get some beers and head over there." He looked at his watch. "We're late as it is."

* * *

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* * *

The rest of the week flew by. Will had managed to land himself an ER position at Chicago Med and Intelligence had gotten 2 million dollars in heroin off the streets, as well as a Mexican hitman. Jay and Will had been called in by Voight to stitch up one of Voight's former CIs' son, as he had actually been innocent in this whole ordeal.

Jay was still laughing about how Will asked if that was a normal day for him. Jes had begun to understand Intelligence a lot faster than Will. Jay stretched. He looked at his clock. It was getting late and he knew he wasn't going to have time to go to the gym. He was pouring some coffee when a strange woman appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. She was wearing nothing but her panties and a tank top. Jay arched an eyebrow. "Hey… uh… Hi, morning." He stammered as he finished pouring the coffee.

"Melanie." She said coming into the kitchen.

"Jay." Jay said. "Will's brother." He handed her the coffee.

"It's nice to meet you." She smiled.

"Yeah." Jay nodded and went about pouring himself another cup of coffee. He watched through the doorway as Will came out of the bedroom, tying his tie. Melanie kissed him, smacked his ass and walked back into the bedroom. Jay just shook his head. Will was still a playboy.

Will came into the kitchen. "Morning."

"When do you have to be at work?" Jay asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Will looked at his watch. "Ten minutes ago."

"It's your first day."

"Uh," Will was now looking in the fridge. "First and last, as it turns out." Will stood up and stared at Jay. "Almond milk? You don't have regular milk in here?"

Jay was still in shock at the other news. "You're joking."

"No." Will went back into the fridge, grabbing the almond milk. "I got to get back."

"To what?" Jay was flabbergasted. "I thought the partners kicked you out of the practice."

"They did, but…" Will poured some coffee into a travel mug. "now, this may come as a shock to you… There are other practices in New York City."

"Hey… how 'bout, for once, you see something all the way through."

"Wow." Will exclaimed. "You sound like the old man."

"There it is." Jay sighed. "I mean, that is why you're blowing back out of town, right?"

"What do you care?"

"Just give it a couple weeks." Jay didn't want Will to leave. They had just begun to mend everything. "At least. You never know."

"I got to go." Will grabbed his white coat and headed for the door.

"Will… please stay… if not for me… do it for Jes."

Will didn't answer. He just shrugged and headed out the door.

Jay sighed. "Your sister needs all of her family." He didn't know if Will heard him or not, but he had to chase Melanie out of his apartment so he could go to work. He didn't want to piss Voight off more than he already had. He downed his coffee. Maybe he should take a page out of Will's book and just have a hook up. Maybe that would help him get over Erin.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio and Jay were going through CI files when a call came into the District. It made everyone freeze and they all had chills run down their spine. "Explosion in the ER at Chicago Med."

Jay grabbed the keys to Erin's Chrysler 300, since she was at some seminar, and flew out of the bullpen.

Voight stared at the rest of the group. "Someone go after him!"

Adam was the first one to move. He grabbed his keys and ran after Jay.

"What about us, Sarge?" Kevin asked.

"We'll stay here… once they have news, they'll call. You guys will have to go out and question people and get the details. That's your job." Voight headed into his office, closing the door.

Kevin and Antonio knew that meant leave him alone. Antonio jumped as his phone rang. "Dawson."

"Antonio?" Jes' voice was panicked.

"Yeah. Babe, what's wrong? What's all that noise?"

"I'm at Med."

"You're WHERE?!" He shouted.

"I'm at Med… Jacquie had an appointment and she didn't want to come alone."

"Jesus Christ." He muttered. "Are you okay?"

"We're fine… we were on the other side of the ER… but… there was an explosion… there's smoke and people are screaming."

"It's okay… babe… Gaby and Matt are there… you'll be fine. Just stay where you are. Jay's headed there now… and I think Will's working. I'll call Jay… see if they can't get you out of there, okay?"

Jes sniffled. "Okay."

"Baby, I promise you… you, Jacquie and the babies are going to be okay." He said reassuringly.

"Are you coming?"

"Voight has us standing by to interview family… or co-workers… as soon as I can, I will come be with you… wait, where are the kids?"

"Eva's watching Vinessa and Diego at P2K. Rose is supervising too. Don't worry… they're definitely safe."

"Okay. I love you, Jes."

"I love you, Antonio."

Antonio hung up and groaned. "Fuck."

Kevin reappeared from the kitchen with coffee. "What's wrong, man?"

"Umm." Antonio didn't want to freak Kevin out.

"Spit it out, bro."

"Jacquie and Jes are at Med."

Kevin's eyes bulged. "What? Why?"

"Jacquie had an appointment."

"No, naw, man… her appointment's May 7…"

"Kevin, it is May 7."

Kevin punched the filing cabinet. "Fuck!" He looked at Antonio. "Were they near the ER?"

"Jes said no. They were on the other side of the building… but they felt it."

"Shit. You gotta tell Jay."

"I know, but I don't wanna." Antonio groaned. "He's going to flip his shit."

"Yep."

* * *

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* * *

Will's ears were still ringing when his cellphone began ringing. He knew this was a disaster. The scene in front of him reminded him of things he had seen in Somalia and the Sudan. He cringed, Kelly Severide was hanging on by a thread, and there were pieces of the bomber all over the ER; not to mention that there was smoke and fire filling the ER. He answered the phone.

"Tell me you're not in there." Jay's voice seemed far away.

"I am." Will answered. He wasn't a playboy surgeon anymore. Now, he was an ER doc who needed to control the situation. "Listen, the guy who blew himself up in here said he had something worse than Ebola."

"What… like… like he's spreading it with this?" Jay was horrified. This was the kind of shit that went down in Afghanistan and Iraq, not in the middle of a metropolitan hospital's ER.

Will whispered. "Yeah. Every single one of us in here has been in contact with him."

That was the truth. Every person in the ER had the bomber's blood or body parts on them, or in them.

"Who was he?" Jay asked.

Will had no clue. "No idea. Do us all a favour… find out… would you?" He ended the call and went about to treating patients. He joined Gaby Dawson who was helping an older man who had a piece of bone protruding from his rib cage.

 _ **Meanwhile… Outside Med…**_

Jay was shouting at one of the Commanders in the Ivory Tower. They needed more people. They needed to consider this a terrorist attack. They needed to get a hold of this before the media blew everything out of proportion. "I was just outside, sir. I'm telling you, that is not the case. There's still people in the street that need to be moved because we can't confirm or deny a damn thing right now!" He listened to what the Commander said. "More cruisers is exactly what I'm asking for, along with the bomb squad and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in case this guy wasn't working alone."

Adam was talking to Voight. He explained the situation concerning the fire in the ceiling and how Jay was trying to give the Ivory Tower a kick in the ass to get them more help.

Jay hung up with the Ivory Tower and turned to Adam. "What'd Voight say?"

"Keep pushing to get answers."

"What else?"

Adam bit his tongue.

"Ruzek! What else did he say?"

"Jes and Jacquie are inside." Ruzek whispered.

"Who's where?!"

"Jacquie had an appointment with her OB… Kev forgot… she didn't want to come alone… so Jes came with her."

"Were they in the ER?" Jay demanded. When Adam didn't answer him fast enough. "WERE THEY IN THE ER?!"

"No!" Adam matched Jay's screaming. "They weren't."

Jay collapsed into a chair. "Can this day…?"

Ruzek covered Jay's mouth with his hand. "Don't! You say it… it happens."

Soon, the bomber's parents were in the command tent and they were trying to get information on why he would want to do this. When they mentioned the risk of him being a carrier of something worse than Ebola, they gave the information on where he worked.

Adam called Antonio. "Antonio, where you at?" He waited for Antonio to answer. "Headed to BHO Labs… the bomber worked there. His name was Aleem Mahmoud."

"Got it." Antonio said before ending the call.

It had gotten worse. Aleem had hoped to turn himself into a biological weapon.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio gunned it for BHO Labs. Once he flashed his badge and explained the situation, he was led to Aleem's main supervisor. He explained, again, the situation and waited patiently for the supervisor to return with the much needed information. Once he had it, he called Ruzek back. "Adam, put me on speaker."

Adam hit the speaker button. "What do you got?"

"Not good." Antonio said. "We need to patch in your brother."

Jay added Will's number to the call and they waited for him to pick up.

"Halstead." Will answered.

"Will, I'm at BHO Labs… where the bomber, Aleem, worked… it's not good."

"What is it, Antonio?" Will asked.

"He was working with something called 'Marburg'."

"Mhmm." Will spoke to the Infectious Disease doc. "He was working with Marburg. He injected himself with it."

Antonio could hear Hermann over the speaker. "What's Marburg?"

The ID doc replied. "It's a viral hemorrhagic fever. The Soviets developed it as a biological weapon."

Will asked Antonio. "Ask them which strain of the Marburg virus."

Antonio took the folder from Aleem's supervisor. "Ravn."

Will spoke to the ID doc again. "Ravn." He ended the call without so much as a thank you.

Antonio asked if Jay was still there.

"Yeah, 'Tonio… I'm still here."

"Did any of that make sense to you?"

Jay sighed. "No… it made about as much sense as when Jes speaks in French… See if you can't get a copy of that file and get down here… try and find a way to get Jes and Jacquie outta there."

"On my way." Antonio ended the call and asked for a copy of the file. Once he had the copied file, he headed straight to Chicago Med. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by Jay and Sharon Goodwin. He handed Sharon the file and took Jay by the arm. "Any news?"

"Not yet. We should hear something soon though… you got us a lot closer to the answers."

"I'm worried, Jay… Gaby's in there."

"I know… I know, man." Jay hugged him. "Look, she's in there with the best docs and nurses as well as more than half of 51…"

Everything quieted down as they approached Chief Boden who was signalling to them. They were getting news from inside.

"Hey, Chief." Matt Casey's voice came over the radio. "All clear. Not contagious. We're opening up the ER."

There were loud sighs of relief followed by thunderous cheers and applause. Jay and Antonio collapsed onto each other. They wanted to get their family out of there and as far away as possible for now. Antonio ran ahead and almost crashed into his sister.

"Gaby!"

"Antonio!" She exclaimed. "Thank God."

"Oh, hell yes…" Antonio sighed. He hugged her. "No more bombs… no more bullets… nothing… I think I just aged a decade knowing that you, Jes and Jacquie were all here."

Gaby's jaw dropped. "Jes and Jacquie are in there?!"

"No… not in the ER… they were in the clinic… Jacquie had a check-up and Jes came with her. They felt the explosion, but they're safe… I'm going in there and getting them out."

Gaby gave him a peck on the cheek. "Go get them… we're gonna have a get together at Molly's tonight… you guys should be there."

"I will." Antonio smiled. "Go… clean up… We'll see you tonight."

* * *

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* * *

Jes was pacing around the clinic waiting room. She wanted to know what the hell was going on. She looked at the clock on the wall. They had been stuck in here for close to 6 hours now. People were climbing up the walls and Jes didn't blame them. She was hungry and she wanted to go home.

Jacquie grabbed her hand. "Stop it, Jes… you're driving me batty."

"I can't… I just…"

"I know." Jacquie held her hand and squeezed it. "We'll be out of here soon."

"I'm looking for Jeslyn Halstead and Jacquie Atwater." Antonio's voice echoed down the hall.

Jes spun around and ran towards his voice. "Antonio!" She threw herself into his arms.

"Oof." Antonio grunted at the surprise attack. "Babe." He kissed her. "Oh, thank God."

"Please tell me you're here to get us the hell out of here."

"I am." He kissed her again. "One sec… excuse me, nurse?"

"Yes, Detective?"

"You can start letting people go home… the ER has been cleared."

"Of course. Thank you, Detective." The nurse smiled and headed off to let people out of the Clinic.

Antonio hugged Jes tightly. "Babe, I was so worried… why didn't you let me know you were coming today?"

"It totally slipped my mind this morning… but I also didn't expect the ER to go boom." Jes whispered.

Antonio sighed. "It's okay… Kevin and I were just worried sick about you girls."

"We're okay… so are our babies."

"Did you get a check-up too?"

"The docs here had nothing better to do." Jes sighed contently. She was happy to just feel his arms around her. "Can we go now? I'm pretty sure if we stay here much longer, they're just going to keep me here until I deliver."

"Well, I won't have any of that." He grinned. "Jacquie!"

Jacquie poked her head around the corner. "We can go?" Antonio nodded. Jacquie squealed and ran towards them. "Let's get the hell outta here!"

Both women slipped their arms through Antonio's and they headed out into the evening to go to join everyone at Molly's. For a day that started as a disaster, it came to be a day of teamwork and strength to overcome the adversity of the day. The Fire Department, the Police Department and the doctors and nurses of Chicago Med were truly a unified force. They were one city, Chicago.

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* * *

 _ **A/N: This contains parts or content from Episodes 17 and 18 of Chicago PD (season 2) as well as Episode 19 (Season 3) of Chicago Fire (I am the apocalypse). More to come soon! Let me know what you think! All the best, Nicole!**_


	35. I Bet My Life

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* * *

They had just gotten one of Al's 'white whales' from 6 years ago. With him and a good chunk of the 14K Triads off the streets, Chicago was a bit safer tonight. Al felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his chest. He also knew that the families of those girls would sleep better knowing that their murderer was behind bars and wasn't coming out any time soon. He grabbed his coat and headed home to his wife and daughter. Antonio and Jay watched him leave. This had been hard on everyone. Al and Erin had come up on the scene and they were the ones to find the victims.

"I'm gonna check on Erin." Jay said, reaching for his coat.

Antonio leaned back in his chair. "I thought you two weren't a thing anymore?"

Jay glared at him. "It's complicated."

"Jay, I'm gonna be your brother in a few months… be straight with me. 'It's Complicated' is a Facebook status. You don't tell me; I'll just ask your sister."

Jay hung his head. "Bro, come on."

"Jay, talk to me."

"Erin's a mess… between this… and helping Nadia prep for the Police Exams… she's under a lot of stress."

"So, what… you're planning on alleviating some of the in a physical way?"

Jay punched Antonio in the shoulder. "No, but I will be a shoulder to cry on if she needs it."

"Well… good luck… I have a nursery to go check on."

"You excited?"

"I am… Jes is nervous… and I am too… I haven't done this in about 10 years. I haven't held a baby in years… I'm a little freaked out to be honest."

"How about the kids?"

"They are probably the most pumped people after my parents." Antonio laughed. "They're already talking about how they're going to teach them different things… they're arguing over who's gonna teach them everything from tying their shoes to reading… Jes and I couldn't be more thankful that they're so open to this."

"They're young, Antonio." Jay said. "They can adjust a lot better than we can. I think, though, Will and I are pretty pumped to be uncles."

"Oh Lord… between everyone that's immediate family and everyone that's in the District, House 51 and P2K… this baby is going to be so spoiled."

"Yeah, but all your kids will be so loved and have so many people on their sides, they'll achieve any goal imaginable." Jay laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"We're off tomorrow!" Antonio called after him as Jay headed down the stairs.

"Yeah, but we're having a planning session for Erin's party at your place tomorrow."

Antonio sighed. "Got it."

He had forgotten than Jay, Nadia and Platt would be coming over to plan Erin's surprise party. It was Erin's 30th in a week or so, and they wanted to have a special party for her at P2K. Despite Jes basically being on Mat leave, considering she was almost 7 and a half months pregnant, she still wanted to help. She and Erin and reconciled since the incident in October. She wasn't thrilled that Erin had ended things with Jay, but she could be a lot more civil now. He filed away his completed files and headed home to his family.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was on the couch crocheting the blanket she planned on using for the baby, well, one of them. She had made one already, but one was yellow and this one was green. She wanted them neutral. She didn't want to risk making a pink one and having a boy in a couple months. She sighed. She had grown quite a bit in the last couple weeks. Dr. Mayo had insisted that she go on Maternity Leave now so that she could prevent an early delivery. He had said that she was putting too much stress on her body, which was putting her body into protective mode which meant she could have a premature baby. Even though it was doctor's orders, she was getting bored out of her mind. Eva and Diego had gone as far as forbidding her from cooking and cleaning. Her only job was to keep the baby healthy.

"Hey, I'm home!" Antonio's voice echoed from the doorway.

"I'm in the living room!" Jes called back.

Antonio walked in and froze. "What are you doing?"

"I'm crocheting."

"You're what?"

"It's like knitting, only instead of needles, I use a hook… I made one already… and since Eva and Diego have declared a mutiny on me… I decided to make another one."

"Are we not happy on being forced into bed rest?"

Jes nodded. "I hate just sitting here doing nothing."

Antonio sat next to her on the love seat. "Jes, you heard what Dr. Mayo said. You're putting too much stress on yourself and you're already starting to show signs of possible early delivery. We don't want this baby coming any sooner than he or she is supposed to."

"I can't just sit and do nothing." She was exasperated. "Seriously… between the kids, you and my brothers… I'm… I feel like I'm in prison."

"I never put the cuffs on you." Antonio pointed out. "Look, babe, it's hard… I get that… but… for the baby's sake…"

"What am I supposed to do?" She held up the blanket. "I'm going to finish this tomorrow."

Antonio got up and went to the bookshelf. "Here." He pulled out 'Outlander'. "You haven't read this in a while… and there are 7 other books in this series… not to mention, you made me sit through every episode of that show… not complaining about the sex scenes but… some of it…"

"We haven't even seen the worst episode yet." Jes said, reaching for the book.

"And what exactly is that?"

"I'm not telling you." She smirked. "You can either read the book or you can wait til it airs in a couple weeks."

Antonio sighed. "Whatever. Where are the kids?"

"In the kitchen… making supper."

"Ah… I think that's what's bugging you the most." He said. "You can't stand not being in control."

"You know me so well…" Jes sighed. "Do I have permission to go and check on the food?"

"I'll help you up." He smiled. "Give me your hands."

Antonio helped Jes off the sofa and together they went to check on the food.

* * *

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* * *

The next morning, Jes got up early and went to soak her feet in the tub. They were swollen and sore. She groaned. "It wasn't like this the first time around."

Antonio knocked on the door. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"I'm soaking my feet." Jes answered.

"Can I come in?"

"I didn't lock the door." Jes sighed.

Antonio poked his head in. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah… I just… I don't remember this from… well… before…"

"Jes… you weren't… you didn't get this far."

"I know…" She yawned. "What time is it?"

Antonio looked back into their room. "4."

"Shit."

"You didn't sleep good… I know… I felt you toss and turn all night."

"I'm sorry, Antonio… maybe I should sleep in the guest room."

"Nope. I'm not letting you outta my sight." He came into the bathroom and gently massaged her shoulders.

"Mmmm… That feels so good." She moaned. "Whatever you're doing… don't you dare stop."

Antonio laughed. "Alright… if it's going to help you get some rest."

"Don't you work this weekend?"

"Nope." Antonio kissed her cheek. "The next few weekends are off for us."

"Ooo. I like that." Jes smiled. "Between this and the foot soak, I think I could maybe get a couple more hours of sleep."

"Good… you'll need it because Jay, Nadia and Platt are all coming over here in a couple hours."

"Umm… remind me again… why?"

"Erin's 30th surprise party. You said they could have it at P2K."

"Oh… that's today?"

Antonio laughed softly. "Yeah… come on. Let me dry your feet and I'll put you back to bed."

"Will you join me?"

"Yeah… I want to make sure you sleep." He grabbed the towel off the toilet let and dried her feet. "Alright, wrap your arms around my neck."

"Antonio! I'm gonna break your back."

"Jes, please?"

She sighed and did as she was asked. He lifted her with ease and carried her back to their bed.

4 hours later, they woke up feeling a little more refreshed. Jes had actually been able to sleep. She threw on one of her maxi dresses and quickly styled her hair. She just needed to feel normal. She slowly made her way to the kitchen to be greeted by Eva and Diego setting the table while Jay and Will made breakfast. "Where's Antonio?"

"He went to get some OJ." Jay laughed. "Diego forgot to add it to the grocery list and well… we need it for breakfast."

"Oh."

"Sis, sit down… please." Will said from the stove. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"What's for breakfast?" Diego asked.

"Well, I made some pancakes, bacon, sausages… I'll scramble some eggs when your dad gets home… then there's toast and fresh fruit." Will answered.

"Since when did you become Betty Crocker?" Jes asked taking some of the strawberries from the bowl that Jay placed on the table.

"Since I was tired of eating out of diners all the time." Will grinned. He grabbed the plate with pancakes and the tray with the meats and brought them to the table. "Hopefully, Antonio isn't dragging his butt to get here."

"I'm here!" Antonio called from the doorway of the garage entrance. "I found Nadia outside."

"Well, there's more than enough food… turns out Will takes after Jes and makes enough to feed a platoon." Jay commented, snatching a piece of bacon from the tray. "But, at least it's edible."

Will smacked Jay with the oven mitt. "I can cook… more than you."

"Okay, enough, boys." Jes laughed. "Let's just eat a nice breakfast… as a family." She saw Nadia standing in the corner. "You're family too… come on, grab a seat. Will made a lot of food."

Nadia smiled. "Thanks!" It wasn't often that she got a home cooked meal. Neither she, nor Erin, were Suzie Homemaker. She sat between Eva and Jes. She gladly took the plate Eva handed her and allowed Antonio to fill it. "This smells amazing."

"Why, thank you, Nadia." Will grinned.

They ate and listened to stories of Jay, Will and Jes' childhood. Antonio grinned. He didn't really know much about Jay's childhood. He had been very secretive about that part of his life, but since Jes had come back about a year earlier, he had become a little more open.

"Okay, I was not that bad!" Will exclaimed.

"Mom swore you were going to be a doctor… he kept cutting his stuffed animals open and then stitching them back up with her sewing kit."

Antonio almost choked on his juice. "Seriously!?"

Jay laughed. "Yeah. It was being a surgeon or being a psychopath… I'm really glad he went with option one."

"I'm not about to be Dr. Frankenstein." Will glared at his brother. "I genuinely do want to help people."

"And that's why you changed from Plastics to the ER." Jes said. "So, Will… what exactly are you here for?"

"I've been told that you don't like just sitting around doing nothing, like the doctor ordered." Will leaned back in his chair. "So, I'm here as your brother and a doctor."

"Will, stop doing that with the chair... you'll fall off." Jes said before realizing just how much she sounded like Briana Halstead right then.

Jay laughed. "Oh… my… God! You sounded like Mom just then."

Jes flicked a grape in his general direction just as Will, who was laughing hysterically, fell off his chair and landed hard on his ass.

"Ow!" Will exclaimed.

"I told you." Jes snickered.

"That actually hurt." Will slowly got up, rubbing his butt. "Okay… I'll take Mom's advice from now on."

Jes was about to retort when the doorbell rang. She squinted her eyes at Will. "Saved by the bell."

Will was shaking his head. "I quit."

"What's all the commotion in here?" Trudy asked.

"Will is an idiot." Jes laughed. "How are you doing, Trudy?" She got up to hug the desk sergeant.

"Jes, sit… I can bend… I'm not that old." Trudy hugged Jes. "How are you doing?"

"I feel like a blimp… This baby is going to be huge." Jes rubbed her belly. "And active."

"Have you met his father?" Trudy laughed. "Antonio can't sit still."

"Guilty." Antonio said coming into the kitchen. "So, what am I doing?"

"You are going to go with Diego and get the groceries on the list." Jes smiled.

"I thought we were party planning."

" **We** are." Jes said. "You guys are going grocery shopping."

Antonio looked disappointed. "Okay. We'll be back in a bit." He kissed Jes' cheek. "Behave."

"I'm surrounded by cops and a doctor and our very protective teen daughter, I don't think I can misbehave."

"Okay, Diego, let's go shopping." Antonio went to collect their reusable grocery bags.

Diego went to hug his mom. He whispered. "How long do I have to keep him busy?"

"I made a very detailed list… give us at least 2 hours." Jes whispered back.

"You got it." Diego kissed her cheek and ran after his father.

Everyone chitchatted until they heard Antonio's truck leave the driveway.

Eva checked the window. "They're gone."

A huge sigh of relief escaped everyone.

"Thank God!" Jes exclaimed. "I thought he'd never go for it."

"He seriously has no clue we're doing this?" Will asked

Jes shook her head. "Nope. We've been mum about this. It kinda helps that Erin's birthday is this week… we can use it as a cover."

They set about to planning Antonio's surprise birthday party. Erin's birthday was already planned. Now it was time to give Antonio the best birthday ever.

* * *

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* * *

A couple days later, Antonio and Jay were helping the kids get ready for their finals when their cells began ringing. They looked at the caller IDs. Erin was calling Jay and Voight was calling Antonio. They picked up their respective calls.

"Halstead."

"Dawson."

They froze as they listened to the call. They looked to each other and in unison, shouted. "Shit!"

The kids jumped. "Dad? Uncle Jay?"

"Uh, you kids finish up here and we've gotta go to Med."

"Everything okay?" Eva asked.

"Ummm… not really… we'll tell you guys later." Antonio kissed the top of her head. "Be good…"

"We always are, Dad." Diego pointed out. "And, yes… we'll make sure Mom doesn't over do anything."

Jay messed up Diego's hair. "Good. We'll be back later."

When they arrived at Med, it was a grisly sight. Ambo 61 had brought in a woman who had been horribly burned in a fire on Wabash. When the docs were debriding the burns and examining her, they found out that she had been brutally raped and bludgeoned. That's why they called in Intelligence. Voight and Erin were waiting for Jay and Antonio to arrive.

"Hey, Sarge… how bad?" Antonio asked.

"They're saying at least 60% of her body is covered in third degree burns… if not more." Voight sighed. "They don't think she'll make it."

"Shit." Jay groaned. "So, whatta ya want us to do?"

"Antonio, it was 51 that responded… your sister pulled someone else out… a Billy Carson. Go talk to her, see what you can get out of the firemen… Jay, I need you to talk to Sylvie Brett and, uh Jessica Chilton… they were the medics that brought her in."

Both men nodded and headed their respective ways. It didn't take long for Antonio to reach Firehouse 51 from Med. He headed into the kitchen area to find Gaby.

"Hey, Sis, ya got a minute?" Antonio waved to his sister.

"Hey, Antonio… what are you doing here? Is Jes okay?"

"Jes, the kids and baby are all fine and at home. I need to talk to you about that fire on Wabash."

"It was a bad one." Gaby said. She walked into the briefing room. "I'll do what I can."

"Look… Intelligence got called in… we got told you pulled a guy from the fire, Billy Carson."

"Yeah… he said he had gone out to buy a new video game and that he swears he turned off the power strip. I found him on the stairs passed out from the smoke. OFI is in there checking to see what the cause was. Why?"

"His story, you buy it?" Antonio asked.

"Yeah, why?" Gaby could tell something was up. His face said it all.

"When they admitted the upstairs neighbor into the burn unit at Chicago Med, they found…" Antonio paused. The details were horrific. "Before she got burned up, somebody raped her and left her for dead."

"Oh my God!" Gaby exclaimed. "I don't believe it was him. He was adamant that he was trying to save her."

Antonio sighed. "Look, we gotta talk to him and rule him out. Whoever actually did this… they brutalized that poor woman."

"How bad are the burns?"

"Over 60% of her body is covered in third-degree burns… right down to the muscle and bone."

"Shit." Gaby exclaimed. As a paramedic, she had been trained on burns, and she knew as a firefighter how horrible they were. She also knew that there was no way that Victoria was going to survive. If the burns didn't kill her, the infection and damage to her lungs would.

"I gotta get back. We have to dig deep into this. Voight is really pissed."

"I'll talk to Billy, get him to contact you guys."

"Thanks, sis." Antonio kissed her cheek. "Keep me in the loop on OFI's investigations. We need every bit of help we can get to catch this monster."

"Always." Gaby nodded. She watched as her brother headed out of the station house and to his car. This was going to be another one of those cases that everyone was going to hate and need to solve.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio had called Gaby to go back to the scene to look for more evidence, seeing as Billy Caron's prints and DNA had ruled him out as a suspect. He was pacing the Intelligence bullpen. They needed more to get this guy. No one wanted a nurse from Med to be an unsolved case. He was about to call Gaby to see if she had any more information when the gate to come upstairs buzzed and she, Kelly Severide and another guy came walking up the steps.

"Tell him what you told us." Kelly said.

Antonio pulled out his notepad to take down the information. This guy lived in the house next to Victoria's and had seen someone in scrubs behind the house before the fire started. He didn't have a much better description than that. It was something. They could put these extra details into NCIC and see what happened. If this guy had done this before, there'd be a record of it somewhere. He thanked Gaby and Kelly as they headed out. He then turned to go back to Hank's office. He knocked on the door. "Hey, Sarge."

"What'd Severide and Gaby have to say?"

"Arson. Shredded tires were used as an accelerant. They dripped down a cable access hole to the floor below. Kelly said that if someone wanted to kill someone fast, toxic smoke from burnt rubber would be a good way to do it. I'm gonna go give Mouse the extra details, see if he can't get a hit off of one of the databases."

"Let me know if you hear anything."

"You got it, boss." Antonio nodded and headed to Mouse's 'office' to give him the search parameters.

It didn't take long before Voight got a call from Olivia Benson in New York. Turns out this case had a lot of similarities to cases she had worked a decade earlier and the perp had never been caught. She was on her way in from New York now. Whoever this guy was, it was bad to have New York's SVU come out to help on a case.

Antonio had been busy going through the information Mouse had pulled from NCIC and the National Sex Offenders' Registry when Gaby called. "Hey, sis. What's up?"

"I need a major favour, like now." Gaby's voice was panicky.

"Okay, yeah. What?"

"I need you to ping a phone. I'm worried."

"Okay, who's phone?"

"Billy Carson. I'm scared he's going to do something rash… He doesn't know he's been cleared… just."

"I got it." Antonio handed Mouse a piece of paper. "Ping that phone, NOW!"

Mouse's hands flew over his keyboard. He showed Antonio the location of the phone.

"Gaby, he's on the Wacker Drive Bridge, just over Field Drive." Antonio said. "Gaby… be careful."

"Thanks." She replied hastily before ending the call.

He ran his hands through his hair and headed back to his desk and the pile of files. He was more and more thankful that he didn't have to bring this stuff home to Jes and the kids. However, he knew that this whole case was weighing heavily on the Intelligence team, all of house 51 and the staff over at Med, including Will. They'd have to keep this bottled up, they didn't need Jes or Jacquie getting wound up over this and having complications with the pregnancy.

Antonio was putting a pile of the definite 'no' files away when Voight raced out of his office and down the stairs. He looked over to Erin. "Where's he going?"

"Boden's office. Sergeant Benson is meeting him there. Whatever this is, it's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better."

Jay stormed past them.

"Jay!" Erin called after him.

Antonio ran after him. "Where you headed?"

"Voight wants me at Med."

"What about the rest of us?"

"I don't know… ask him." Jay ran past him and out of the district.

Antonio turned back to Erin. "I don't know what the fuck is going on here anymore."

Soon enough, everyone was back in the bullpen and Sergeant Benson was giving the details of the cases from New York. She had two confirmed murders and one suspected case. Once everything was on the table, they formatted an announcement to be put out to all the local media outposts. They quickly divided up the tasks to see if they could catch this monster.

Jay cleared his throat. "Uh… that was Olinsky… um… Victoria… she didn't make it."

* * *

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* * *

Jay and Erin were assigned to going back to the original crime scene to look for any form of evidence. Matt met them there and walked them through it.

Erin was looking through the debris by the victim's bed when she found something. "Hey, check it out. It's nail polish."

"What colour did the offender use on the victims?" Jay asked.

"Green." Erin answered as she unscrewed the bottle. Sure enough, the nail polish she had found was green. "Well, now there's no doubt."

They headed back to the bullpen. Antonio and Adam had been going around the neighbourhood asking if anyone had seen anything. Sadly, it was a dead end and they were no closer to catching this son-of-a-bitch than they were 4 days earlier when this first happened. Antonio had had to call Jes and tell her that the weekend off had been suspended due to the case.

"I get it, Antonio." She had said. "It'll be fine. Just, be careful out there."

Back in Intelligence, they were going over who could potentially have access to medical equipment and the list was extensive.

Sergeant Benson's phone began to vibrate. "Benson."

"Hey, Sarge, you alone?" Carisi asked over the line.

"Close enough, what's up?" She asked.

"Well, I'm going over the witness statements from the Debra McCulloch disappearance in '04. Detectives interviewed a med student who knew Debra, name Will Halstead. The name bumped for Rollins so we did some digging. It turns out he's a doctor in Chicago Med right now."

"Okay." Olivia had to move away from Jay's desk, where she had been standing.

"And his brother, Jay… he's a detective in Voight's unit… his sister, Jeslyn… she's Chicago's saving grace… that Youth Centre we told you about."

"I see, go on."

"And I'm guessing you can't really talk right now. Good luck, Sarge." Carisi said.

"Good to know. Thank you." Olivia ended the call.

Jay looked up at her. "All good?"

"Oh, yeah." Olivia lied. "That's… that's just my son's nanny, checking in." She didn't like this one bit. She'd have to talk to Hank about it, but not here in the district. The walls in any precinct had ears. She looked to Hank giving him a look of 'we need to talk, somewhere away from here, pronto'.

Hank nodded and they went about other tasks until they could get out of there to talk.

Hank had sent her a text to meet him at Molly's. He knew that whatever this was, no one in Intelligence would be there tonight. They were too busy with the case. He walked in to see Olivia already at a table with a couple of Manhattan's in front of her.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Olivia said. "So, I gotta run something past you."

"Okay." Hank leaned on the table.

Olivia ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't this kind of cop, but this case was pushing her to be that way. "Detective Halstead, his brother, Will, you know him?"

Hank answered. "Little."

"So, my ex-partner questions him 10 years ago. He knew one of the victims in New York. I'd like to bring him in, ask him a few questions, just… check his temperature."

Hank sat on the bar stool across from her. "Without Jay knowing why you're bringing Will in."

"That's correct."

"You wanna ambush Will." Hank pointed out. He hadn't taken Olivia for the kind of cop who'd bend those rules to solve a case.

"Well, I wouldn't…"

"It's okay. I mean, you can call it what it is."

Olivia sighed. "Yes. I wanna ambush Will. Look, he knew the woman who went missing in New York… and now, suddenly… the killer activates after he gets a job at Chicago Med? I've been carrying this case around for 10 years. I just need to see the look on his face." She took a deep breath. "I know this is your house and I don't want to disrespect you… that's why I just… I wanted to run it past you."

"Let me think about it." Hank replied.

"Okay." Olivia could accept that.

"Olivia, you gotta know this isn't just Jay anymore… his sister is here now, too."

"I heard about Jeslyn… and what she's been through and what her youth centre has done for this district."

"Not just that." Hank took a sip of his drink. "She's marrying Antonio… my second in command."

Olivia gaped at him. "What? When did this happen?"

"After the cartel thing. Look, Jay getting pissed… that I can deal with… Jeslyn… she's almost seven and a half months pregnant with Antonio's baby… her, I can't have getting pissed."

"Is there a way that we can do this where she won't find out?"

Hank shrugged. "Those Halstead siblings are very tight… and now with the baby… it's a whole 'nother ball game."

Oliva finished her cocktail. "Think about it… Amaro and Fin will be in by morning."

Hank nodded as he finished his Manhattan. "I will, but I know… you're right and I may just have to deal with the fall out."

 _ **The next morning…**_

"Now all I need is Ruzek to sign the card." Nadia told Jay as he signed Erin's surprise 30th birthday card.

"Careful with Ruzek. He's terrible at keeping secrets." Jay handed Nadia the card back.

Whether or not they caught this guy tonight, they were at least going to have cake and ice cream here at the P2K for Erin before they went home.

"Later on I'll just steal her car keys and go get the cake, and if I can't… can I use yours?" Nadia asked.

"Uh, Antonio and I got dropped off this morning. Jes drove us in, but hey, maybe if you give her a call she'll pop by."

"Uh, I thought she was on Mat Leave?" Nadia asked. "You know, doctor's orders and all that?"

"She can still drive a little bit, and it keeps her from going crazy at home. It'll be no problem."

"What's no problem?" Erin asked, coming into the locker room.

"Nothing, it's all good." Jay said, leaving.

Erin looked to Nadia. "You better not be planning me a surprise party."

"I'm not!" Nadia exclaimed.

"I know where you live." Erin smiled before heading up to the bullpen.

Everyone was greeting Fin and Amaro when Atwater and Ruzek came up the stairs saying the tip line had paid off. "Some woman over in Bucktown called in, said some guy… uh… a couple weeks ago, asked her to move some boxes from his car."

"Was she attacked?" Antonio asked.

"Nah," Adam said. "She got a weird feeling and took off. Get this though, the guy was wearing scrubs."

Antonio took the papers from Adam while Kevin and Adam greeted their New York guests. "I'll go interview this woman." He grabbed his coat and headed out.

"Uh, I'll come with." Amaro said, hot on Antonio's heels.

Olivia took this chance to talk to Jay. If Antonio had been there, it may have been a little harder. He'd been a cop a lot longer than Jay and he also was very good at reading people. It's why he had been such a good UC according to Hank. "Hey, Jay… you know, I'm still trying to get some more information about this nurse from Chicago Med, who was killed. Her sister, unfortunately, wasn't much help. Now, your brother's a doctor there. Am I right?"

Jay nodded. "Mhmm."

"Did he know her?"

"He said he bumped into her a few times."

"Okay… do you think he'd be willing to come in, and maybe point us in the direction of somebody that knew her better?"

Jay shrugged. "I doubt he knows much, but I can give him a call."

"That would be really helpful. Thanks."

"Okay." Jay reached for his phone to call Will.

"Great." Olivia smiled and headed to Hank's office.

* * *

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* * *

It wasn't long before they arrived at the witness' house. It gave Antonio the creeps to know it was only a couple blocks away from Molly's.

"So, Antonio… is the rumour true?"

"Which rumour?" He asked, laughing. "It's Chicago… there's a bunch of them."

Amaro shook his head. "That you're marrying Jay's baby sister."

"Yep." Antonio grinned. "Come September 4th, she will no longer be Halstead, but Dawson."

"And she's pregnant?"

Antonio looked at him. "You got a problem with that?"

"No… but Jay probably did."

Antonio instinctively rubbed his jawline. "Oh, he had a problem with us dating… then when we moved in together… then the baby… he knocked me around a couple times."

"But, he's good with it now?" Amaro said following Antonio up the steps.

"He seems to be." Antonio was about to ring the doorbell. "You know something I don't?"

"Do they know that Will's a suspect?"

Antonio spun around. "What?"

Amaro realized right then that he should've kept his mouth shut. "Nothing."

"Uh uh. Spill."

"Carisi and Rollins found out that Will was questioned in one of the New York cases… and well, Sarge wants to see if he may have had something to do with this?"

"Will… my future brother-in-law… and wait… Voight's letting… oh fuck." Antonio reached for his cell to warn Jay.

"Antonio… bro… one Latino to another… don't… you gotta let it roll out."

"Not if it's going to send my fiancée into early labour I won't."

Amaro grabbed Antonio's cell. "Let's deal with this first."

Antonio groaned. He knew that Amaro was right, but he also knew that Jay and Jes were going to have his head for letting Voight do this. "Fine. First floor, right?"

"First floor." Amaro confirmed.

Antonio rang the bell. It wasn't long before a 5'5" brunette answered the door. "Charlotte Reegan?" Antonio asked.

"Yes." Charlotte said.

"Hi. I'm Detective Dawson, this is Detective Amaro. You called into the tip line last night?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah. Wow. You guys got here quick."

"Hey, Charlotte, would you mind taking us through what happened?" Amaro asked.

"Oh, of course." Charlotte stepped back. "Come in."

She explained how she had gone out for a walk because her apartment was too small. She told them he had asked for help moving a box to the passenger seat but what she saw in the backseat had set off alarms. "He had a, like, carjack thing on the back seat. And… he was too friendly… like too chatty."

Unfortunately, she wasn't able to give much of a description past a white guy with a black, generic ball cap in scrubs.

"What kind of car was he driving?" Antonio asked.

"Subaru. Wagon." She specified. "I remember 'cause my aunt has one. Uh, dark green. I didn't get the licence plate, though. I just turned and gripped my keys in my hand and started walking."

Antonio wrote all this down in his notepad. It was something for Mouse to add to his search parameters. "If you saw this guy again… would you be able to identify him?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Maybe."

Amaro and Antonio thanked her and told her to call if she remembered anything else. They left her house, Antonio speed walking to his car.

"Bro! Slow down!" Amaro called after him.

"Hell no!" Antonio growled. "I gotta get back before Jay and Will get there."

Amaro caught up to him. "Bro, it's too late."

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"So, they just wanna know if you can help them get more info on Victoria." Jay told Will as they pulled up to the district.

"As long as I'm at Med for my shift in an hour, I'll do whatever I can to help."

Jay nodded. "Done." He saw Sergeants Benson and Voight waiting at the back of bullpen. "Sergeant Benson, this is my brother, Will. If he insists on you calling him Dr. Halstead, you smack him upside the head."

Will extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Sergeant… And don't listen to him. You've probably already figured that out though."

"Okay, if you go by Will, then I'll go by Olivia." Benson smiled.

"I like you already." Will turned to Voight. "Hank."

"How you doing, Will?" Hank shook Will's hand.

"He's got an hour 'til his shift. I told him we'd get him in and out."

"Of course." Benson nodded. "We just have a couple questions."

"Why don't we go in here?" Hank said.

"All right." Will said. He didn't think this was out of the ordinary.

Jay, on the other hand, was getting suspicious. The pictures of the victims had been pulled off the rolling whiteboard. That set off warning bells in his head. "Hey, you mind if I join?" He asked. He wasn't about to let them through his big brother under the bus. Jay definitely knew something was up when it took Voight and Benson more than 2 seconds to say yes. Once he had their permission he walked into the kitchen and stood behind Will.

Will explained that he hadn't known Victoria well. "Like I told Jay, she was just a really friendly person. Seemed to be well liked by everyone on the staff, although I would have to assume there are other people at Chicago Med who could give you more insight."

"Well, we were hoping that you could do that for us, you know. We're just trying to piece together who she was as a person." Benson said.

Jay was leaning against the counter by this point and he wasn't buying it. Olivia Benson was a great cop and she knew her stuff. She wouldn't be asking Will about a woman he barely knew without having an ulterior motive. He couldn't say anything yet, but his gut was seriously telling him to grab Will and pull him out of there.

"Did you know her outside of work?" Benson asked.

"No." Will replied. "I just started a couple weeks ago, so I'm still in the 'getting to know you' stage, meeting everyone."

"Been there. It takes a while." Benson took the file off the table. "While you're here, do you know this woman?" She slid Debra McCulloch's picture in front of Will.

Jay was ready to jump across the table.

Will was shocked to see Debra's picture. "Oh wow. Yeah, Debra. It's been a while. She went missing a long time ago… back in New York."

"Yeah." Benson said. "How do you know Debra, Will?"

Jay wasn't staying silent anymore. Voight hadn't said squat since they had sat Will done. "What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to look at Jay. Will's face was filled with confusion. Benson's look told Jay that this was long planned.

"Well," Benson answered. "We just found out that Will was in New York at the same time as the last two incidents."

"You just found out, my ass." Jay snapped. He turned to Voight. "Sarge, she's ambushing my brother." Voight said nothing. That was when Jay knew Voight had approved this. "You signed off on it!"

Will was looking between Jay and the two sergeants. "Uh, I'm a little confused here."

"Don't say another word." Jay wasn't letting this go any further.

"What… what are you talking about?" Will asked.

Jay grabbed Will's arm. "We're done. Let's go."

Will finally got Jay's hint. "Are you asking if I did these crimes?"

Benson looked straight into Will's eyes. "I am."

Will shook his head. "I didn't."

"Don't say another word until you get a lawyer."

"I don't need a lawyer. I didn't do anything." Will sat back down.

"It doesn't matter!" Jay exclaimed. "If they want to, they'll find a way to stitch you up."

"Careful, Jay." Voight warned.

Jay grabbed Will. "Come on!"

Will fought against his brother. "Back off!" He calmed himself. "No. I saw what happened to that girl, and if it were my sister, my daughter, my niece… my mom… I'd want you to do exactly what you're doing right now. Ask me anything you want… anytime." He sat back down. He appreciated what his brother was trying to do, but he also knew that if Jes had been the victim, Jay would do anything to catch the bastard who was guilty.

"Appreciate that." Benson was keeping her cool. She pulled a note pad from her file. "If you could write down where you were the night of Victoria's murder, I would like a full statement."

Will went to grab the pen, but Jay shoved the pad from under his hand. "No, no, no. He's not writing anything down. Come on… get up."

"Jay!"

"We're leaving. Now! Come on." Jay yanked Will out of his chair and pushed him towards the door. He got Will downstairs and asked Burgess and Roman to drive him to Med. He grabbed Will by the shoulders. "Don't answer anything else. Everything goes through me."

"Jay, what the fuck is your problem?!" Will exclaimed. "What if it had been Jes… Eva? Mom?"

"It wasn't… and I'm not about to have my big brother thrown under the bus because they find some fucked up coincidences in their files."

"I knew two of the victims." Will said.

"Yeah, barely. That's not enough to qualify you as a suspect." Jay spat. "You only talk to me… or Antonio… he's the only other one I'd trust. I'm not losing you."

Will sighed. "Fine." He hugged Jay and got into the car with the two patrolmen.

Jay watched until he was gone before heading back up to Intelligence. He took a deep breath and knocked on Voight's office door.

"Yeah, come on in." Voight's voice came from the other side.

"Will's gonna write a statement, either 'Tonio or I will read it… and then we'll submit it to you. He was home that night… watching TV."

"Okay." Benson said, looking up from her cell.

"Can anyone put him there?" Voight asked.

"No." Jay shook his head. "He ordered a pay-per-view movie. I'm checking now to see if I can get the records. You have any more questions for **my** brother, you can go through me."

"Look." Voight said, causing Jay to turn back. "I understand how you're feeling, but you're not running point on questioning your brother, and I think you understand why."

Jay ignored that comment before answering. "I'll get you that report after I've read it." He turned and went back to his desk. He didn't even say anything when Benson announced that she was heading back to New York to re-interview suspects and witnesses from ten years ago. He was still fuming over this assault.

Antonio got back in time to say farewell to Sergeant Benson. "Have a safe flight, Sarge." He said.

She nodded. "Look, Amaro texted me that he let slip about my plan… I have to thank you… for not telling your future brothers-in-law."

"Honestly, ma'am… I wanted to. I can't risk anything happening to my fiancée or our child… I'm not exactly thrilled with the situation."

"I put both of you… and your sergeant in a hard place." Benson said. "Look, keep an eye on Jay. I don't think Will had anything to do with it, but Jay's pissed."

"Respectively, Sergeant… so am I… and we have every right to be. It's family. Family is off limits." Antonio said.

"Not when it comes to brutal rape/murders like this, unfortunately. Look, Will is cleared… I'm going back to New York… If I get anymore leads, I'll let you guys know. Fin and Amaro are staying here to help you guys out because we strongly suspect that this sick son of a bitch is still in Chicago."

Antonio nodded. "Okay. Just, leave my family out of this from now on."

Olivia nodded. "Yup." She turned and left.

Antonio ran upstairs to talk to Jay. He signalled for Jay to join him in the rollout.

"Antonio… did you hear?"

"That Benson and Voight ambushed Will?"

"Yeah! They had balls to think that he'd be behind this. He wasn't even in New York for all the murders back then!"

"Jay, I get you're pissed, but Will's cleared."

"I'll believe it when Voight says it." Jay was fuming.

"Okay… look, Jes can't find out."

Jay froze. "Shit."

"Did you tell her?!" Now it was Antonio's turn to be pissed off.

"I may have let it slip when she called me earlier about tonight."

"Jay!" Antonio punched the wall. "She CAN'T be STRESSED!"

"I…" Jay leaned against the wall. "I didn't think about that… you… I needed to talk to someone that was on my side!"

"I'M ON YOUR SIDE!" Antonio bellowed. "Jes can't be stressed. I don't want our child coming into this world early because the job we have caused her to go into early labour."

"I'm SORRY!" Jay collapsed. "Fuck."

Antonio sat next to him against the wall. "I'm sorry I didn't get back in time… I wouldn't have let this happen."

"Voight approved it, man."

"They wanna get this guy." Antonio sighed.

"I want to too! But there's no way in hell I'd look at my own brother for it."

"Hmm."

Mouse appeared in the roll up. "Uh, hey… they got a guy that has a dark green Subaru wearing scrubs what has a match to the partial licence plate we got."

Antonio and Jay bolted up. "Where?!"

Mouse took a step back. "Burgess and Roman are just bringing him in now. He'll be in interrogation by the time you two get back upstairs."

Antonio and Jay exchanged glances and booked it back up the stairs to the bullpen.

Mouse shook his head. "This guy better be the right one… those two can't take much more of this crap." He headed back to his little office just off the rollout.

Antonio beat Jay into the bullpen. "Where is he?" He asked Nadia.

"Detective Amaro and Erin have him in Interrogation." Nadia said.

Jay and Antonio bolted to the observation room. They arrived in time for them to hear Amaro state this guy's past in New York. When he was asked where he went after New York, and he said New Orleans, Jay wrote it down and went to give it to Nadia to give it to Mouse. They could ask the NOPD if there had been similar cases there in the past 8 or 9 years. Voight and Fin joined Antonio in the observation room with Charlotte.

"Do you recognize him?" Antonio asked.

Charlotte shrugged. "He wore a baseball cap, and it was night. I mean… it could be him. I'm sorry, I can't say for sure."

They thanked Charlotte and she was escorted back out. Antonio and Voight turned their attention to the questioning.

"Who is this guy?" Antonio whispered.

"Greg Yates. He set off alarm bells for Roman and Burgess… they brought him in under the guise that the car he's buying was involved in a hit and run." Voight answered.

Amaro was pulling out pictures of the victims and asking Yates if he knew these women.

"No, are any of these the pedestrian that the car I'm purchasing supposedly struck? That is the reason that I was brought in, am I correct?"

Antonio could tell that Erin was doing her best to read this guy as he examined the photos. This guy must have been a professional poker player because his face showed no recognition and no emotion.

"You shave your arms, Doctor?" Erin asked. She had noticed that there wasn't a single hair on his arms or on his chest from what she could see.

Amaro looked at Yates' arms. She was right. He had no body hair.

Yates spun around and changed his tone. "My whole body, actually. It's for cycling. Helps reduce drag."

Antonio looked to Voight. Voight's jaw was clenched. He was seeing this too. Yates was basically drooling over Erin. She was his type, if in reality he was their murderer. "Sarge, Erin's safe in there."

"He's lucky he's in there and I'm here." Voight's gravelly voice made the threat barely audible.

Amaro asked Yates where the best cycling spot in Chicago was but Yates didn't even look at Amaro when he answered. He was glued on Erin. "Am I under arrest?" Yates asked. Antonio was sure he could hear a longing or desire in Yates' voice when he asked that.

"No. You're free to go." Erin said. "Thanks for coming in."

"Oh," Yates said as he left interrogation. "I'm happy to help."

Erin followed him to the door. "Hmm. Do you have any travel plans, Mr. Yates?"

"None." He answered. "Are you kidding? I just got to your beautiful city. I can't wait to explore it."

Erin cringed as he said that. She wanted to deck him right there. She knew by 'explore it', he actually meant go on another murderous rampage. It was obvious he was their guy, but they had no hard evidence to prove it. She escorted him from Interrogation towards the bullpen. She wanted to shout to Nadia to move but it was too late. She was right in their path and so was Jes. Erin wanted to turn him around and go the other way. It was one thing for this guy to know she was his type, but now, there were two other women who were his perfect type right in front of them. One of them was her best friend and roommate and the other was Jay's sister and Antonio's fiancée who was 7 and a bit months pregnant. "Fuck." She muttered under her breath. She wished she could push Yates right passed them, but he had seen them and he was slowing right down.

Jes and Nadia were whispering about how to get the decorations that Platt had been holding and the cake to P2K for Erin without Erin finding out. They froze when they saw Erin escorting some guy in scrubs from the Interrogation room. Jes had the worst chill ever crawl up her spine when she saw him.

"Hello." He said in a sickly sweet way as he passed by.

Erin shook her head as she walked by them. Nadia cringed. This wasn't good.

"Uh, come with me to the kitchen." Nadia whispered to Jes.

They were about to step foot in the door when Jay and Antonio came out of the observation room and saw them. They bolted towards them. Antonio grabbed Jes by the elbow and pulled her into the kitchen.

"Ouch!" Jes exclaimed. "Antonio, what the fuck?!"

"What are you doing here?" Antonio countered.

"Nadia called… I'm here to pick up stuff for tonight… and we're gonna go get the cake."

"Uh uh." Jay said. "We're cancelling this thing. That psycho just saw the two of you, and you're both his ideal victim type."

"What?" Jes was lost. "What the hell are you two talking about?"

Nadia looked to Jay. "He's the one?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah. He basically stopped short of saying it was him."

Nadia wanted to puke. She had seen what had happened to those victims in New York and the nurse here. She didn't want anything to do with that guy.

"Nadia?" Antonio asked. "You okay?"

She nodded weakly. "Yeah, um… I have to keep answering phones." She turned to Jes. "We'll figure this out in a bit?"

Jes nodded. "Yep."

Jay closed the door after Nadia left. He turned to Antonio and Jes. "She has to go home and stay there."

"Uh, I'm right here!" Jes exclaimed. She turned to Antonio. "Did you know they suspect Will committed some of these awful things?"

Antonio sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"Why didn't you stop them?!" She screeched. "You know he would never do that!"

"I know, but I didn't get back here in time to stop them… and baby… you gotta stay calm. We're not ready for the little one to be here yet."

Jes crossed her arms over her belly. "You two better tell me what the hell is going on around here. Will, Gaby, hell everyone is acting so weird. I'm pregnant… not dying."

Antonio looked to Jay. "She won't give up."

"That's what I was worried about." Jay groaned. "Look, Jes… there is a serial rapist and murderer here in Chicago. SUV from New York came down here because he was there a decade ago."

"Wait, you're telling me Olivia… like Olivia Benson accused will of this!?" Jes was shocked. She remembered briefly meeting her during the cross-state pedo case a while back. She didn't strike her as the stab another cop's family in the back with those kinds of accusations. "Did Hank sign off on that?"

"Yeah, baby, he did." Antonio said. "Look, Will isn't the suspect anymore. This guy is. He likes women who are about 5'5", brunettes and generally nurses, but he'll take whoever he can find. I don't want you being a target for him. You have to go home and stay home."

"Can't I just go to P2K?" Jes pleaded. "I highly doubt he even knows who I am, nor where I work."

"Jes… don't temp this guy. He's crazy." Jay begged. "Please… look… we can have Erin's thing at your place… or here… just don't tempt the fates."

"We can't stop living every time there's a psychopath in Chicago… if we did, we'd all be dead." Jes replied.

"Jes, this isn't a joke." Antonio tried to change her perspective. "He knocks his victims out with a solid hit to the back of the skull… then he rapes them, paints their finger nails green for some fucked up reason and finally he torches the place to ultimately kill his victim. Please… baby… be careful… if you won't listen to us, please… please."

"I'll be careful." Jes promised. "You guys too. I got a major bad vibe off him when he passed by."

"That's because he's evil incarnate." Jay said. "Look, Voight's gonna be looking for us. Do what you have to with Nadia… be careful."

"I will." Jes carefully got up and hugged him. "I love you, Jay." She went to Antonio and kissed him. "I'll be careful, I promise."

He hugged her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled and slowly made her way out of the kitchen.

Antonio looked to Jay. "Look, we gotta have someone stay with her."

"Like who? Everyone's working this case." Jay groaned.

"Maybe that guy from P2K? He seems to be trustworthy enough." Antonio said.

"Xander is a good guy. Mouse checked him out. Give him a call… at least he can have a head's up."

Antonio nodded and pulled his cell to call Xander. Jay's cell began to buzz. He pulled it out.

"Will? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I got a pizza delivery receipt here for your boss… I was home, ordered pizza and a movie…"

"Okay, where are you?"

"Platt's desk."

"What about Med?"

"I told them I was helping with a police investigation. Mrs. Goodwin didn't question past that."

"Okay, I'm coming to you."

Jay met Will at the bottom of the stairs and gratefully took the receipt. "You know I never doubted you, right?"

"I know, Jay. I get why they're doing this."

"Yeah, well, it looks like you might not be their number one suspect anymore."

"Really?" Will was surprised. Not even a couple hours earlier, they were basically wanting a confession out of him.

"Yeah, they found a new guy… uh… he taught at Columbia."

Will's eyes widened. "Who? He may have been one of my profs?"

"Greg Yates."

Will cringed. "Him? Seriously?"

Jay nodded. "You know him?"

"Yeah." Will sighed. "Look, he's creepy as fuck and he always struck me as weird when I was at Columbia."

"Let's go talk to Hank then." Jay said, keying in his code to get upstairs.

"Jay, why was Jes here?"

"She, uh… fuck." Jay hung his head. "You weren't supposed to know that."

"I saw her, Jay. What was our baby sister doing here?" Will crossed his arms. "She's Yates' type."

"Oh, trust me, Antonio and I both warned her about that… she still wants to have Erin's thing tonight at P2K."

"Jesus Christ." Will groaned. "Why is she so goddamned stubborn?"

"She's French, adopted Irish and marrying a Dominican…"

"You're not helping." Will groaned. "Let's just go deal with this, please?"

Jay went ahead to Hank's office with the receipt. Once it had been confirmed that Will was no longer a suspect, he said. "Okay, good. Moving on. I mentioned Yates to Will… he remembers him from his time in New York. He's got an opinion about him."

"Where is he?"

"At the stairs."

"Well, go get him."

Jay went to get Will, while Voight signalled for Antonio and Erin to join them in his office.

"Sir." Will greeted Hank.

"What can you tell us about Yates?" Voight asked.

"He was one of those instructors that made the students call him by his first name. Liked to hang out at the bars we went to. Some bought into it… but I always got a creepy vibe. Someone invited him out to a party one night, and Yates corners me. Starts talking about who has the best ass. Who he's like to have sex with first."

Antonio was cringing just hearing this. Yates was one twisted son of a bitch. That was a guarantee.

"Debra McCulloch was at that party." Will added. "The nurse who went missing."

"Was it the night she went missing?" Erin asked.

"No. I, uh… think it was like… three nights before that. But… they were both there. Could have easily met her that night."

Nadia appeared at the door. "Lindsay, you have a call."

"Who is it?"

"It's Greg Yates." Nadia answered.

Everyone's eyes bulged. They all followed Erin to her desk. Nadia picked up the call for her and put it on speaker.

* * *

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* * *

They were in the rollout. Mouse was explaining her new equipment while the others were preparing their weapons and pulling on vests.

"Just stay where we can see you." Jay begged her.

"I got it." She answered.

"We'll be out there watching; in case anything goes sideways." Antonio added.

Voight asked Al if they had found a good lookout in case they'd have to take Yates down.

"We'll be near the pedestrian bridge a few hundred yards away." Al told her, reassuringly.

Voight turned to their New York guest detectives. "Fin, Amaro, you're on the ground with Ruzek and Antonio. Stay sharp."

Erin took a call from Sergeant Benson.

Antonio turned to Jay. "Xander's keeping a close eye on Nadia and Jes. They'll be okay. Jes is staying at P2K for now. Nadia managed to borrow Lindsay's car and she'll meet Jes there to set up. Jacquie and the kids will be headed there soon too. This guy isn't going to hurt them."

"He'd better not… because I won't let him hurt the women I love."

"We got this." Antonio put his hand on his shoulder. "I promise."

They all headed out to the meeting spot ahead of Lindsay to ensure they were there ahead of Yates. Mouse was staying with Voight in Voight's vehicle to keep track of the audio and tracker. Jay was with Al in the sniper perch while Amaro, Fin, Adam and Antonio were spread out for better eyesight.

Antonio noted that Yates was getting Lindsay out of their line of sight. "Yates and Lindsay are on the move."

Al came over the comms. "We lost sight of Lindsay, we're moving."

"We got them." Amaro said. "We'll hang back. They're on the walkway."

They listened into the conversation Yates was trying to have with Lindsay about the crisis in Egypt and the fall of Mubarak. It wasn't making sense. Then it was onto a discussion about Vietnam and the rat problem.

Lindsay interrupted him. "I know why you wanted to meet me. I'm 5'5" and a brunette. Just like all those women you murdered. How about we talk about that?"

Yates made a little more idle chitchat before taking off. Jay and Al followed Yates to see where he went. Voight and Antonio went to check on Erin.

"I'm fine. He's just messing with us. It's all a game to him."

Jay sighed and radioed in. "He got in cab. Patrol lost him after he went into an apartment complex.

Voight was about to responded when his cell rang. "Voight."

"Sergeant, Chief Wallace Boden. We got another body."

Voight looked to his team. He shook his head. He signaled them to move and they headed to the location that Boden had given Voight. When they arrived, Voight introduced Amaro and Fin to Boden. They all followed him into the burned out home. He explained how the was thought to have been started in the bedroom.

"Could have the fire been started remotely?" Voight asked.

"We'll search for an incendiary device, but we can't guarantee anything."

"That's why he was with Lindsay when it started." Fin added.

"Plausible deniability."

Fin knelt next to the body on the floor and lifted the blanket.

"How old is she?" Amaro asked. "18?"

Fin recovered the body. "Hey, what's this?" He picked up a bottle of nail polish from the burnt remains of the floor. He lifted it into the light that Amaro was shining and spun the bottle around to reveal the colour.

"Green nail polish." Amaro sighed.

Voight looked to Boden and then stormed out of the house to the rest of the team. Amaro and Fin exchanged looks. They'd worked with Voight before, but they hadn't seen him like this during that time.

Erin asked Voight if it was him, when he confirmed it, she said. "So, he used me as an alibi."

"Hey, yo." Mouse interrupted them. "I got his phone. Apartment on the West side."

"Get everyone to roll out." Voight said. He turned to Fin and Amaro. "Look, it's up to you, but… but if you're with me, you better know what that means.

They arrived at the address that Mouse had given them. Kevin breached and Adam was the first one in. They quickly cleared the apartment to find out that Yates wasn't there at all. Ruzek and Amaro headed to the basement while Fin and Kevin cleared upstairs. Antonio, Voight, Jay and Lindsay cleared the main floor.

Ruzek flicked the lights on in the basement. There were fans and an extremely strong chemical smell. "That ammonia?" Ruzek asked.

Amaro nodded. "Yeah, a lot of it."

They were soon joined by the rest of the team. Antonio shone his rifle's light on the centre of the circle of fans. In it, was a lighter and a bottle of green nail polish. They knew it. Greg Yates was the bastard they were after.

"He was just here." Ruzek pointed out.

Antonio grabbed Yates' cell phone that he had left on one of the fans. He had purposely lured them here. "Why?" He asked.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was outside of P2K waiting for Nadia to come with the cake and decorations. She was about to call Nadia when something moved in the corner of her eye. She turned only to catch a brief glimpse of Greg Yates before the world went black.

Nadia pulled up and parked Lindsay's car. She looked around. Jes was supposed to meet her out front with a cart to help bring in the stuff. The cart was there, but Jes wasn't. "Weird." She said. She grabbed the decorations and put them on the cart. She quickly realized that there wasn't enough room on the cart for the cake. She sighed. She pushed the cart into the main entry way of P2K then went to get the cake from the car. She went inside again. She looked everywhere for Jes. Finally, she called out. "Xander? Jes?" There was a muffled sound coming from the back office. "Jes?" Nadia called out again. She knocked on the door, it pushed open slightly. "Jes?" Nadia pushed the door open but screamed and dropped the cake when she saw Jes on the floor, being pinned down by Greg Yates.

Yates cracked his neck and turned to face her. "Oo… you shouldn't be here." He got off of Jes' now unconscious body. "Do you want to join in the fun?" He took a step closer to her.

Nadia backed up and tripped over Xander's unconscious body. "No… No… the CPD's looking for you."

Yates smiled. "Oh, but they won't find me."

"Leave… I won't tell anyone you were here."

"Oh, so young." He knelt down in front of her and touched her cheek. "So… naïve."

Nadia pulled back. "Please… just… leave."

Greg backhanded her. Her hand flew to her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere… and neither are you." He pushed the door closed and locked it. He grabbed Nadia and dragged her over to the couch by where Jes was. He grabbed the tape he had on Jes' desk and quickly taped her hands and feet together. "See, now… you're gonna watch… then… I'll take my time with you after." He went back to Jes.

Nadia wanted to puke. "Leave her alone!" She screamed. "She's pregnant!"

"Oh, I can see that." Yates grinned. He took a knife from his back pocket and cut her top off.

Nadia was weeping. "Leave her! Please! Take me… I'll… I'll do whatever you want!" She turned away when Yates began to touch Jes. "Please." She pleaded.

Yates smiled. "Whatever… I… want?" He asked with a sickening smiled. He began to cut the rest of Jes' clothes off.

"Yes!" Nadia screamed. "Anything… please… I… she… please."

Yates leaned down and whispered something to Jes, even though she was unconscious. He dropped a bottle of green nail polish next to Jes and took another piece of duct tape and covered Nadia's mouth. He laughed as he saw the tears begin to stream down her cheeks. "You and I, Nadia… we're going to have a fantastic… fantastic adventure." He kissed her while grabbing the snow globe off of Jes' desk and hit Nadia in the back of the head. He carried her limp body to Lindsay's car and put her in the back seat. He got in the driver's seat and adjusted the mirror. He put the car in reverse and headed off into the night.

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, that's that… for now… more to come soon. The next couple chapters are tough for me to write because they revolve around the worst episodes of Season 2 of PD… More to come soon… just will take a little time. I'm updating 'Should've Been Us' next. Please leave me any reviews, let me know what you think… what you'd like to see! Lots of love, Nicole.**_


	36. Somebody's Hero

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* * *

The team arrived back at the District and quickly stripped off their gear. They had to get Yates off the streets. Every had a job to do, and they had to get it done now.

"Where's Nadia?" Voight asked, pointing to her empty desk.

Jay saw a sticky note out of the corner of his eye. He pulled if off the receiver of his phone. "She went out."

Erin lost it. "She's out there!?" She pointed to the cityscape that was outside their window. "With a psychopath on the loose?!"

Jay sighed in defeat. "She went to P2K to meet up with Jes and Xander… to set up for your birthday."

"She's out there? With your extremely pregnant sister? Because of me?!" Erin began to hyperventilate. "They fit his fucking victim type!"

"Hey!" Antonio got between Jay and Erin. Hank was holding Erin's elbow to keep her from going for Jay's throat. "Erin, relax a little bit… okay? I'll call P2K." Antonio was trying his best to calm her down. He grabbed his cell and dialed Jes. It went straight to voicemail. "That's weird."

"What's weird?" Jay asked.

"Jes' phone… it's going straight to voicemail."

Jay grabbed his cell and called P2K's landline. It just rang and rang. Eventually, the answering machine kicked in. "What the fuck?!"

"What?!" Antonio demanded.

"There's no answer. Just the machine, but only after about 50 rings. Something's not right… Sarge?" Jay turned to Voight.

Everyone could see the worry in Jay and Antonio's eyes. Even Voight was beginning to worry. Erin was to the point of hysterics.

"Boss, Yates can't possibly know that Jes runs P2K… that Nadia was headed there… that Jes is Jay's sister… that she's marrying Antonio… how close Erin is to Nadia? He can't know any of that… can he?" Ruzek asked what was on everyone's mind.

"With this guy?! Who the fuck knows?!" Voight growled. "Suit up! All of you!"

There weren't enough doors in the bullpen. Everyone ran to the rollout and grabbed their vests. The Intelligence cops grabbed the longs guns and shields. They were going to need anything and everything. They had no clue what they could've been walking into, but they had to be prepared for anything. They piled into their vehicles and with lights and sirens, they sped off to P2K.

They were there in about 10 minutes. When they got there and saw Jes' Journey as well as Xander's pickup in their stalls. Erin's car was nowhere in sight. There were no lights visible inside the building. They slowly made their way inside in formation. The whole building was pitch black. Jay and Antonio were in the lead. Ruzek and Olinsky headed left towards the kitchens. Erin and Voight headed right towards the gym and rec area. Atwater, Fin and Amaro covered the main area. Antonio and Jay were sweeping through the study rooms and offices when a blood curdling scream and loud thud came from the back office. Jay and Antonio ran full steam in that direction with Fin and Amaro on his tail. Atwater stayed to cover the door.

"Chicago PD!" Antonio and Jay shouted as they burst through Jes' office. The door was open and Jacquie was collapsed on the floor.

Antonio almost died when he saw Jes lying on the floor. He didn't wait for the room to be cleared. He dropped his weapon and ran to her. He ripped off his jacket and covered Jes' near naked body. She was breathing but barely. "Jes! Baby, no… no!"

Jay ran to Antonio's side. "Jes! Is she breathing?!"

"Get an ambulance!" Antonio shouted. Antonio's eyes filled with tears. He could see the cuts and bruises covering her body. Her one eye was swollen shut. "Jes… please, baby… wake up…" He wept.

Jay was in shock. He began to weep.

"Jay! Antonio!" Voight's voice echoed in the empty hallway.

"Jes' office!" Amaro stuck his head out of the door. "Get us at least 3 buses! There's another unconscious female in here and a guy who's been beaten to a pulp!"

There were screams from the kitchen area followed by shouts of "Chicago PD!"

Amaro stayed with Jay and Antonio waiting on medical help. Amaro was checking on Jacquie. "You know her?" He asked.

Jay nodded. "She's… Atwater's wife… Jes'… Jes' best friend… is she okay?"

"I think she just fainted. What about the guy?" Amaro was checking over Xander. "He's barely breathing… beaten to a pulp…"

"Uh…" Antonio stammered. "That's Xander… he's helping run P2K… while Jes… and Jacquie are on Medical… Mat Leaves… oh God! The baby!"

There were a bunch of footsteps followed by shouts. There were blinding lights filling the room. "Who's the worst off?" Brett asked.

"It's Jes." Antonio sobbed. "Please… the baby."

Gaby rushed in. "Oh my God!" She ran to her brother. "Antonio… what?! What the fuck happened?!"

Antonio ran to his sister. "He got to Jes… that…"

Brett started screaming. "She's crashing!"

Chili was grabbing syringes from the jump bag and began pushing them into her IV. "Tube her." Chili grabbed the defibrillator and placed the pads on Jes' chest. "Clear!"

Antonio cried out as he watched Jes' body jolt under the current of the defibrillator. "No! Jes! NO!"

Gaby and Amaro had to fight like hell to hold him back. "Antonio! Let them do their job!"

"I can't! Not again! Jes!"

Amaro signalled to Fin, who had rejoined them, to grab Antonio from behind to prevent him from acting out.

Fin grabbed Antonio. "Antonio! You gotta listen, bro."

"She's… she's my world." Antonio wept.

"Antonio, you need to calm down." Fin said. "Your kids… they're in the kitchen."

Antonio's body locked. "What?!"

"Dad!"

He turned around and saw Eva and Diego being shielded by Al and Adam. Antonio broke free from Fin's grasp and ran to them. "Eva! Diego!" He wrapped his arms around them and swung them away so they wouldn't see Brett and Chili working on Jes. "What? What are you guys doing here?"

Eva was weeping. Diego's voice quivered. "We came with Jacquie… she told us to go to the kitchen… to hide from Erin for her surprise… then we heard screams… we… we hid in the cooler… where's… where's Mom?"

"Um… we're… we're gonna go over here." Antonio tried to push them away from Jes' office.

"Push more epi!" Brett's voice came from the office.

"Severide! Help me get her on the stretcher."

Matt and Kelly rushed passed Antonio and the kids.

"Guys, where's Vinessa?" Antonio asked. He tried to keep them distracted from Jes.

"Kevin's with her… he keeps asking about Jacquie." Eva sobbed. "Daddy… what's going on?"

"I…"

Suddenly, Jes was rushed passed them on a gurney. Brett was over her doing CPR while Chili was bagging her. She was yelling out orders. Jes looked horrible.

"Move! She's barely holding on!" Chili screeched.

"MOM!" The kids screamed. They tried to pull away from Antonio. "Dad! What… what are they doing to mom?!"

"They're trying to save her."

"What happened?!" Eva wept. "We can't lose her too! We love her!"

Antonio held his children tightly and whispered to them in Spanish. He was doing his best to reassure him, but he had no idea as to what could be done.

"Jacquie!" Kevin shouted. "Where's Jacquie?!"

"Atwater!" Olinsky called. "In here."

Kevin rushed in. "Jacquie!" He ran to his wife's side.

"Ke… Kevin?" She groaned. "What… where's…" Her eyes bulged. "Where's Jes?!"

"Breathe… babe… breathe… let the medics check you and the baby out." He whispered, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Who? What?" Jacquie was confused. "No… I came with the kids… they went to the kitchen… I… I came looking for Jes and Nadia… I saw the cake on the floor… then I saw Xander… and Jes… she… she looked dead… I think I passed out."

The paramedic that was attending to her asked. "How far along are you?"

"Uh… 5 months, almost."

The medic looked to Kevin. "You the husband?"

He nodded. "Yeah… that's my baby… are they okay?"

"I'd feel a lot better getting her to Med, have her checked out."

"Then do it, but I'm riding with."

"I'm not gonna argue… just keep her calm." The medic signalled to her partner. They helped Jacquie onto a gurney and wheeled her out.

Jay was on the phone with Med. "I need to speak to Dr. Halstead now!"

"Sir, there's no need to shout."

"I wouldn't be shouting if you would just transfer me through to Dr. Halstead. This is life or death."

"He's…"

"I know." Jay was exasperated. "He's with a patient. I get that. But this is a CPD urgent matter."

Antonio was lost. He was holding his kids but he wanted to be with Jes.

"Antonio!" Gaby shouted. "Get your ass in the ambo… go with Jes! I've got all three kids! Go!"

Antonio kissed his kids and bolted for Ambo 61. He hopped in as Kelly closed the doors behind him.

Chili stared at him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Her fiancé." He pointed to her belly. "That's baby's father. Antonio Dawson."

"Gaby's brother." Chili nodded. She was checking Jes' vitals. "I should thank you for saving my sister's life."

"Your sister?" Antonio looked at her more closely. She did look familiar.

"Jellybean." Chili added.

"Oh! Yeah… how's she doing?"

"Last I heard, she's been clean for a month… holding down a job… finally."

"Glad to hear it… uh… what… what can you tell me about Jes?"

Chili sighed. "It's not good… she's been beaten… I can't tell if she was raped… we've had to shock her a couple times… I'm worried about the baby."

Antonio took Jes' hand. "Baby, I'm here… you're going to be okay." He shouted to Brett. "Call to Med… get Will Halstead to meet us…"

"Isn't he Jes and Jay's brother?"

"Yeah, and Jay hasn't been able to get through to him… he needs to help… in some way…"

Brett keyed her radio. "Chicago Med, come in."

"Med, come in Ambo 61."

"We need Dr. Halstead meeting us at the ambo bay… it's life or death."

"Sylvie?" Will's voice came over the speaker. "What the hell's going on?"

Chili handed her radio to Antonio. "Will, it's Antonio."

"Antonio? What the fuck is going on? Jay's been trying to reach me… we're on notice for three victims coming in from P2K… something about Erin's friend missing?"

"Will!" Antonio shouted into the radio. "Jes is hurt… they had to shock… Shock her… you gotta do something… the baby…"

"How far out are you?" Will was maintaining his calm.

"5 minutes." Brett answered.

"I'll be there…" The radio went silent.

The monitors started screaming. Antonio turned to watched as the heart monitor flatlined.

"Detective…" Chili tried to move him. "Hey! Dawson! Let go! I gotta shock her."

"The… the baby." Antonio pulled his hand back.

"Babies are resilient… but Jes… she can't take much more." Chili hit the 'charge' button on the defibrillator. "Clear!" She shocked Jes.

Jes' heart rhythm restarted but her blood pressure and pulse were erratic. The ambulance jolted to a stop and the back door swung open. The lights blinded Antonio.

"Jes!" Will cried out. "Jesus Christ!"

They pulled the gurney out. Antonio chased after them as they pushed Jes into the bay that Med had taken to calling 'Baghdad'. Maggie jumped in front of Antonio.

"Detective… you… you can't go in there!"

"Maggie, please!" Antonio turned away as they pulled the sheet off of Jes to transfer her to the trauma bed. "Oh, God!"

"Antonio, they're doing everything… let them work…"

Another doctor appeared. "What the hell is Halstead thinking?!"

"Dr. Sebastian!" Maggie exclaimed.

"That's his sister… no… no…" Dr. Sebastian went towards the trauma room.

"Dr. Sebastian… please… let him… this…"

"Does Sharon know?" Dr. Sebastian snapped.

"Yes, James… I know." Sharon Goodwin appeared around the corner. "Considering Ms. Halstead's status in Chicago… as well as the five calls I've received from the Mayor who demanded, and I quote, 'Do anything to save her life, or else.' Will Halstead is the best we can offer her, and he will do anything to save his sister."

"This goes against everything!" Sebastian shouted. "We can't just toss the rules out when we want to!"

Antonio lost it. He stormed up to the senior doctor. "You run this hospital?"

Dr. Sebastian stumbled back. "N… n… no… who are you?"

Antonio ripped his star from his belt. "Detective Antonio Dawson… CPD Intelligence… that woman… is the victim of a serial rapist and murderer… she's also my partner's little sister… and my fiancée… so if the Mayor and Mrs. Goodwin said let Doc Halstead treat her, you're going to let her… or else, I'll toss your ass in a holding cell for impeding an ongoing investigation!"

"I…" Dr. Sebastian looked to Sharon.

"Hey, his boss is even scarier than him… just let it go."

Dr. Sebastian tossed his hands up in the air and stomped off.

"Antonio." Sharon took his hand. "Let them work… any news, Maggie will come find you… but for now, let's get you some coffee from the staff room."

Antonio nodded weakly.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"How the hell did this happen!?" Voight was beyond pissed off.

Xander had been transported to Med with busted ribs, dislocated shoulder, a major concussion and a multitude of other injuries. He was going to be okay. Jacquie had been cleared to go home, yet no one had news on Jes' condition.

"He has her, Hank!" Erin sobbed. "He has to have her. My car's not here… this is her phone!" She handed him the phone. "I found it by Jes' desk… it's smashed."

"Look, Erin, we've got everyone in the state looking for them… they won't get far." Voight put his hands on her shoulders. "You need to stay positive for now."

"He didn't hesitate with Jes, Hank… she's pregnant… imagine… just think about what he could be doing to her!"

"Erin, don't go there… you can't…" Hank hugged her. "We will get her back."

"I'll kill him." Erin said through gritted teeth. "If he hurts a hair on her head, I'll kill him."

"Oh, don't worry… I don't think anyone will try to stop you."

Jay was pacing as CSU gathered evidence. He cringed as they collected the shredded remains of Jes' clothes. He would never be able to unsee what this monster did to his sister. "Boss, how… how did he make the connection?"

"Anyone could've told him… Jes is a celebrity… he's a psychopath." Al said.

"Al, honestly man, you're not helping." Jay walked away. "Where are the kids?"

"Gaby took them… she's got them and Jacquie at her parents'… we've got patrol on them." Adam answered.

"I need to get to Med." Jay said. "I… I can't lose my sister."

"Go." Voight nodded. He looked to Amaro. "Go with him, please."

Amaro nodded and left.

"Someone better get me some information on this son of a bitch!" Voight bellowed. "He's killed and raped any number of women in Chicago and New York… presumably New Orleans too."

"Hank!" Erin screamed. "He's got Nadia!"

"I know, Erin… I'm calling Olivia… I think they're headed back to New York."

"He'll kill her." Erin wept. "It's all my fault!"

"Erin, it's not your fault." Hank put his arms around her and led her out of P2K. "He's a sociopath."

"He saw them at work… he could've followed them… overheard them!" Erin was in hysterics.

"Erin, let's get you back to the District… we're gonna get him… we're gonna bring Nadia home." Hank reassured her.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Amaro drove as Jay was too emotional to drive anywhere. "Jay, she's gonna be okay?"

"Nick? You blind? You not see the same thing I've seen? They had to shock… they had to shock her… she… they were pounding on her chest!"

"Jay."

"No, Nick… I've lost soldiers in Afghanistan, I've almost lost her… too many times to count… for fuck's sake… she's not even 27!" Jay pounded on the dash.

"Hey, I get it!" Amaro shouted back. "I've been working SVU since 2011… I was UC for years… I was Army Intelligence. I get all that… but beating yourself up… beating anyone else up for this bastard's attack… you can't do that."

Jay looked out the window as they pulled into the Med parking lot. Jay bolted out of the car and flew into the ER. "Where's Jeslyn Halstead?" He demanded.

Antonio ran to him. "Jay!"

"Antonio, where's Jes?"

"They have her in Trauma… she's stabilized… but they're running a bunch of tests."

"The baby?"

Antonio collapsed into a chair. "Surprisingly, the baby's safe… they have her on monitors to keep an eye on the baby… on her…"

"Did… did they say what he did to her?"

Antonio shook his head. "I don't think Will wanted to have to repeat it more than once."

"Where is he?"

"Talking to an OB that's gonna keep an eye on her until Dr. Mayo can get here."

"Jay, Antonio." Will jogged up to them. "Let's go in here…" He led them to a small meeting room around the corner from where Jes was being treated.

"Will… don't… don't play the doctor… be her brother… tell us the truth." Jay pleaded.

"Well… he brutalized her… she's got a major concussion… he ra… he raped her… used a condom… he… he uh… he used a bottle on her too… he dislocated her shoulder… she's got a couple cracked ribs… multiple contusions."

"Is she going to wake up?" Antonio whispered.

"The scans we have of her brain show minor swelling, right now… we have her sedated for her own safety and for the baby."

"Did you do… do tests on the baby?" Antonio was wringing his hands together.

"Yeah… so far, the baby's fine. We're monitoring her and the baby… anything changes… we'll have to take the baby."

"It's too soon!" Antonio exclaimed. "The baby… it's too soon."

Will put his hands on Antonio's shoulders. "Antonio, I know… I know… we're giving her medication and everything to help prevent that… but, in trauma like this… it can happen that labour is triggered or… look, we have the best on her… we're not leaving her side… um… Mrs. Goodwin has given you guys permission to go into Baghdad and be with her."

"Baghdad?" Jay ask.

"Don't ask… I haven't even gotten the full explanation." Will ran his hands through his hair. "Is… is this the same guy that killed Victoria? Was this Yates?"

Antonio and Jay exchanged glances, but said nothing.

Will punched the wall. "Yates… did that… to our baby sister?!"

"Will, we're all pissed off." Jay stood up. "We're gonna get him."

"He took Nadia." Antonio whispered.

"Nadia… like Erin's friend?" Will asked.

"Yeah."

"Jesus Christ!" Will rubbed his knuckles. "I don't get this prick… Why go after Jes? She isn't a teen… she's not college aged… why her?"

"She fits his type… 5'6", brunette, when she wasn't pregnant she was fit…" Jay groaned. "Erin's beating herself up."

Will shook his head in confusion. "What? Why? It's not like she tied a bow on them and gifted them to him. This isn't on her."

"I've tried… We've all tried telling her that." Jay put his head in his hands.

"Will, can we see her? Please?" Antonio begged. "I can't just sit here and wait…"

"Yeah, yeah… Antonio… let's… let's all go see her." Will put his arm around his future brother-in-law's shoulders. "Come on, Jay." They got up and headed into Jes' room.

"Just wait until they… they finish collecting the evidence." Will whispered.

Maggie nodded to Will. "We're done. We actually were just cleaning her up for you guys."

"Thanks, Maggie." Antonio smiled weakly.

She came and took his hand. "Anything you need; you tell me or April… take as long as you need."

He nodded and pulled the chair that was close to the bed closer. He sat in it and took her hand. "Jes, baby… I'm here… Jay's here… so is Will… we're… we're all here…" He wiped away a tear. "You're safe now… the baby's safe… please… Jes… please wake up." He put his head to her hand and wept.

Jay and Will stood back. Jay whispered to Will. "I've see him like this too many times now… why can't they just both be able to live their lives?"

Will patted his younger brother's back. "I wish I knew, Jay… you get this son of a bitch… I swear… If ever I had the chance… you'd never find that bastard."

"I don't think anyone would even think about questioning it… Voight's…" Jay's cell began to vibrate. "Speak of the devil." He answered the phone. "Sarge."

"Jay, we're headed to New York… they… we figure he's headed there because that's where he started."

"You want me to come?"

"Not yet. Stay with your sister. If we need you… I'll call."

"How's Erin?"

Voight sighed. "She's blaming herself. I'm going with her, Amaro and Fin back to New York…"

"Sarge, please…"

"I know, Jay… I'll keep an eye on her." Voight replied. "I'll be in touch."

Jay put his phone away. "He's been spotted and changing vehicles and license plates… he's headed back to New York."

"Where it all started." Will finished.

Jay just nodded. "This isn't going to get better… it's not over."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

 **Three days later… Chicago Med's Intensive Care Unit…**

"Antonio." Will tapped Antonio's shoulder. "Hey, bro… wake up."

Antonio shook his head. "Jes… what?"

"No, Jes… Jes is fine." Will whispered. "We have news."

"Did they find Nadia?"

Will shook his head. "Not yet… there have been a few more victims… Jay headed out… uh the news is about Jes."

"Is something wrong?" Antonio panicked.

"No, the swelling's gone. She's no longer being kept in a coma… she should wake up soon."

Antonio's eyes widened. "Really?"

Will smiled. "Yeah. Um, she'll be here for a while… to recover… and prevent premature labour, but she's going to be okay."

Antonio jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you."

"Hey, just… once she has the baby… get out of Chicago… go… don't come back for a while… she needed three months to recover last time… I have a feeling that recovery is going to take longer this time."

Antonio nodded. "Yeah, um… can you let me know if any news comes in from Jay?"

"Definitely." Will nodded. "I have to go do rounds. Have them page me when she wakes up."

"Will do." Antonio went back to Jes' side and took her hand.

Will headed out to do rounds. He prayed that any news Jay had would be that Nadia was alive. Knowing Yates, however, that was next to impossible. He just prayed and prayed. All that mattered right now was catching this psycho and tossing away the key. He went to check on Xander. "Hey, Xander… how you feeling?"

"Doc, gotta be honest, I've had better days." Xander's left eye was still swollen shot.

"I know… um… I haven't gotten around to this, but thank you."

"For what?"

"Protecting my baby sister. I know that's why you got hurt."

"Wait… Jes… is your sister?" Xander tried to sit up a little more in bed.

Will nodded. "She is… uh… I can't do anything to repay you… for what you did."

Xander sniffled. "Dr. Halstead… she's a great person… she didn't deserve that… all she's done is help people. Is she going to be okay?"

"It looks like it, yeah."

Xander sighed in relief. "Thank God. Did they find that other girl, Nadia?"

"You know Nadia?" Will pulled up his stool closer to the bed.

"She volunteers from time to time at P2K… she's told her story… how Detective Lindsay saved her from drugs and prostitution… she was supposed to…" Xander coughed. "Can I have some water?"

Will nodded and took the glass of iced water off the bedside table. He held the straw to Xander's lips as he took a sip.

"Thank you." Xander smiled. "She was supposed to help Jes set up for Detective Lindsay's surprise party… we thought she was there when that… that monster attacked Jes outside… he dragged her in, threatened to kill her if I didn't lead him to the back office. Then he started touching her… saying these god awful things… I jumped on him… then I don't know what happened… I started coming to when Nadia tripped over me. I pretended to be out of it, but I heard everything… that man… he was playing a game… Nadia pleaded that he spare Jes… that he take her… so he went over knocked her out… taped her mouth, hands and feet and left… then… he came back and he… he raped Jes… he did these other awful things… and just left… as if nothing happened."

Will offered him the water again. "Did you tell the police?"

Xander nodded. "Uh, yeah… a Detective Olinsky."

"Al's a great cop." Will smiled. "They're going to get him."

"Is the baby okay? Jes kept pleading for the baby… he just laughed… saying that a baby wasn't going to stop him from his end game." Xander wept. "I think it just made him angrier or something."

"It's okay, Xander. You and Jes and the baby are all going to be okay. I've gotta check on a couple other patients, but I'll be back in a while to check on you."

"Thank you." Xander said.

There was a knock on the door. A petite blonde poked her head in. "Daddy?"

Xander nodded. "Come in, sweetheart."

The blonde carefully walked into the room. "Is everything okay?"

Xander smiled as best he could. "Yeah, sweetie. Come in, Rhea. This is Dr. Halstead."

The teen looked to Will. "Are you related to Miss Jes?"

Will nodded. "She's my baby sister." He shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Rhea."

"Is she going to be okay?"

Will smiled. "Yeah… in time…"

"The baby?" Rhea went and sat next to her father.

"Going to be okay too." Will said. "You care about her."

"She's been nice to me. I like it there… I can do my homework, help other kids… she doesn't treat me differently."

Will leaned against the wall. "Why would she treat you differently?"

Rhea blushed. "I always got treated differently because I've been raised by my dad my whole life… I'm on a scholarship to my school… I'm the only white scholarship kid… I used to get picked on because of it… now, because of Miss Jes and P2K, I don't feel weird."

"You know what… you're not different… you're lucky." Will went over and patted her shoulder. "Your dad is an amazing guy… my brother, Jay, and I owe him a lot."

"Dad… saved Jes?" Rhea looked to her dad. "Daddy… you didn't tell me."

"I'm not here to be a hero." Xander whispered. "I did what anyone would do."

"Xander, I don't know that any guy would do that." Will said. "Trust me… this guy is nuts; most people would've run the other way."

"Daddy… you saved Jes and the baby… you're a hero." Rhea hugged her father.

"Ow… sweetie, gentle on the ribs." Xander groaned.

"Sorry."

Will grinned. "I've gotta finish my rounds, I'll be around to check on you in a while. You two catch up." Will left them to talk while he continued the rest of his rounds.

* * *

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* * *

 **The next day…**

Antonio had just gotten off the phone with the kids. He had spent close to an hour reassuring them that Jes and the baby were going to be okay. It was getting harder and harder to do. They'd seen the effects from the last time and she was worse off this time. He sat back down next to Jes and took her hand. She hadn't woken up yet, but her vitals were finally stable and there wasn't any more intracranial pressure. He sighed. He'd been at this for the last 4 days. He just wanted Jes to wake up. He needed to see her smile again. He put his head to her hand and prayed.

"An… Antonio?" Jes' hoarse voice woke him.

Antonio shook his head. He didn't realize he had fallen asleep. "Jes?" He squeezed her hand. "Baby, I'm here."

"Where… where am I?" She looked around. Her one eye was still swollen and her other eye was trying to focus.

"You're in the ICU at Chicago Med." Antonio leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I'm gonna call Will… he's been here this whole time."

Her hand grabbed his. "How… how long… have… I?"

"Four… four days." Antonio's voice cracked.

"The baby?"

"The baby is going to fine. We were worried about you." Antonio said. "Just let me hit the call button. Will's going to be so happy to see you awake."

Jes nodded weakly. "Okay."

Antonio pulled away a little bit and hit the call button. A nurse poked her head in. "Yes?"

"Please page Dr. Halstead… she's awake." The nurse nodded and headed off to page Will. Antonio turned his attention to Jes. "Do you have any pain?"

"No… um… are the meds… going to hurt the baby?"

Antonio shook his head. "No. They've been very careful."

Jes' hand went to her belly. "Why? How… how did he know me? Where to find me?"

"We're trying to find that out… we really are." Antonio pushed a strand of her hair from her face. "Um, when you feel up to it, Al and Adam are going to come take your statement."

"Okay." Jes coughed, then winced. "Can I have water?"

"I brought some." Will's voice came from the doorway. "Hey, sis."

"Will." Jes sobbed. "I'm sorry."

Will rushed to her side. "Jes, none of this is your fault."

"You were accused then… then…"

"Shh… baby." Antonio took the water Will had in his hands. "Here, have a sip of water."

Jes took a few slow sips from the straw. "Okay… I'm… I just can't believe all this."

"Jes, you're alive and you're safe… that's all that matters. You and the baby are going to be okay."

"Did… did you guys find Nadia?"

Antonio and Will exchanged glances. Antonio sighed. "No… baby, not yet."

"She… she offered herself to him… instead of him hurting me."

"We know… Xander told us."

"Is Xander okay? I couldn't… I couldn't see what he did to him."

Will answered. "Xander took quite a beating trying to protect you, but he's going to be okay. His daughter is with him now and she thinks he's the biggest hero right now."

"Rhea is a sweet girl." Jes smiled. "Any bills he has, I'm paying them."

"Jes, we don't need to worry about that right now." Antonio tried to keep Jes calm.

"Antonio… he could've been killed, it's the least I can do."

"Jes, I know that, but baby… you just woke up… from being in a coma for four days. I don't think they're needing payment right this second." Antonio reasoned.

"Yeah, sis. We'll worry about that once you're better and able to go home." Will smiled. He went to her side and checked her vitals. "I'm just going to check your head, okay?"

"Okay." Jes let her brother finish his exam. "So, when can I go home?"

Will sighed. "Not for a while. The trauma… it's put you in a really high-risk place of delivering early."

"So, I'm here until I have the baby?"

"That's up to Dr. Mayo and me to decide." Will said.

"I didn't think they let you treat family." Jes sighed.

"Normally, they wouldn't… but no one was going to stop me at this point… the Mayor himself made an order that we had to do everything possible to save you and the baby." Will said. "Look, Jes… we were all scared… Antonio hasn't left your side."

"The kids?"

"With my parents and Gaby. Jacquie's with her parents and Vinessa in a hotel."

"What? What happened to Jacquie?" Jes became more panicked.

"Jes, don't make me sedate you." Will threatened. "You need to stay calm… or else we could be delivering a baby that's too early."

"Okay." Jes focused on her breathing. "Please… what happened to Jacquie?"

Antonio groaned. "Jes…"

"No, Antonio… I've been out of it for four days… I need to know what's been happening."

"She's right, bro." Will stepped in. He didn't want Jes upset, but he knew she'd be more upset if they didn't tell her.

"Okay… Jacquie and the three kids got to P2K after Yates took off with Nadia. She sent them to go put things in the kitchen and hide there… she came to look for you guys and she found you… right as we were searching P2K… she screamed then passed out. She's okay and so is her baby."

"Did… did the kids see anything?"

Antonio hung his head. "They were with me when they shocked you… when they were pounding on your chest to keep you alive."

"Oh God."

"They'll be so happy to hear you're awake." Antonio stroked her cheek. "I'll call them in a little bit."

"Wait… where's Jay?" Jes asked. "He's… where is he?"

"New York." Antonio answered. "He's in New York with Voight and Erin."

"He took Nadia there?"

Antonio nodded. "I haven't heard anything yet."

"He'll kill her, Antonio."

"We don't know that, love." Antonio tried to stay positive, but they all knew Yates' MO and his record. He'd gone this long without being caught.

"The.. the things he said he'd done… he'd do to me…" Jes whimpered. "He's not human."

"We know… baby, we've been trying to get him… he… he just got ahead of us." Antonio whispered. "I'm so sorry… it's my fault."

"How?" Jes questioned. "You didn't do this… you didn't gift wrap me…"

"No, but we should've put more protection on you guys… cancelled the party…"

"Look, both of you need to stop blaming yourselves… you can't keep this up… this is Yates' fault… he's the only one to blame and I know your team and SVU will catch this son of a bitch." Will interrupted them. "Now, I'm gonna get some real food sent in, I want both of you to eat… then you can call Eva and Diego and talk to them. Deal?" They nodded. "Good… I'm gonna call Jay… tell him your awake… and I'm gonna ask Dr. Mayo to come check on you."

"Thank you, Will." Jes whispered.

Will bent down and kissed his sister on the cheek. "I love you, Jes… I'm just sorry I haven't been there for you as much as I should have. I'm here now… and I'm going to make sure that you and that baby are both healthy."

Antonio got up and hugged Will tightly. "Thank you."

"No problem. Just, keep her calm. And no one is coming in to question her for at least another 24 to 48 hours… she's in no condition for that. Once she's moved to a private room in the OB ward or Medicine, then they can ask her questions."

Antonio nodded and walked with Will to the door. "If I had my way, no one would ever ask her to relive this. I'd personally find this _cabronazo_ and make him wear his ass as a hat."

"I know, Antonio. I know you'd do anything to avenge Jes and to get this prick… but for now, keep her calm. Any bad news… anything at all… she could go into labour."

"Isn't it safe to deliver now… I mean, if she had to?"

"Yeah, I guess. She's 29 weeks… that's safe, but the baby would be very small… lungs underdeveloped… we're looking at weeks in the NICU, possible developmental delays and a whole hell of a lot of other problems. I'll talk to Dr. Mayo… see if we can't start giving her meds to help mature the baby's lungs… hold the labour off… but she won't make it to July for her due date."

"You sure?" Antonio looked back to Jes. "I mean, if she's here in bed until then…"

"The trauma… Antonio… any stress… any jolting… she could go into labour… she's already leaking small amounts of amniotic fluid… and the last time they checked her… she's already dilating… that doesn't happen unless the body is ready to give birth."

Antonio wanted to punch something but he knew that would get Jes' attention. "Do whatever you can to keep that baby in there as long as possible."

Will patted his shoulder. "We will. You, just focus on her."

"I will."

Will headed out of the room to call Jay then confer with Dr. Mayo considering Jes' options to keep the pregnancy going for as long as possible. Antonio went to Jes and they talked about what they wanted to eat.

* * *

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* * *

"That son of a bitch." Jay pounded the locked he was standing in front of in SVU's locker room. "He's fucking with us."

"Hey, bro… you'll bust your fist open." Fin said. "You left your phone in the squad room." He extended it. "It's your brother."

Jay reached for it. "Will?"

"Hey, uh… good news… Jes is awake… there aren't any signs of brain damage."

"Thank God!" Jay exclaimed. "Has… has she said anything about…?"

"No, and I gave strict orders for her not to talk about it for another 24-48 hours… we're already looking at the chance of her delivering soon."

"It's too early, Will."

"I know that, Jay… but Yates… he did a number on her."

"We found him… with his fiancée." Jay spat out the news.

"Fiancée? Someone would willingly want to marry that psycho?" Will was in shock.

"I have no clue. I don't think she knew anything either." Jay sighed.

"What about Nadia?"

"We haven't found her… Yates is strongly suggesting that… she's dead." Jay sat down.

"Oh Christ." Will groaned. "I'm not telling Jes that. I can't risk her going into premature labour. She's leaking amniotic fluid… that can be a sign of labour coming soon."

"Will, if she did… would the baby stand a chance?"

"I don't know. According to the textbooks, yes, but Jes isn't your textbook case." Will said. "She needs to be monitored… and even if she does go into premature labour, she can't have a natural birth… because of what Yates did."

"That will kill her, Will… she… she had a plan." Jay said. "I didn't want to hear the details… but she doesn't want a C-section."

"She doesn't have a choice if she delivers now… it would take at least a month before she could deliver naturally… minimum."

"Will, seriously… I love you and I get you're a doc and all that, but I don't need to know these things about our baby sister."

"Just… find Nadia… and… when you do, talk to me or Antonio first… Jes can't, she can't hear that now."

"I know that." Jay sighed. "Look, we're about to go out for another grid search."

"Be safe out there." Will said. "I'll keep you updated on Jes."

The two brothers bid each other farewell and continued to go about their day. Jay met up with Fin and Amaro and they headed out for another round of searching. Erin and Voight went with Benson and Rollins. They were going up and down another section of a secluded beach.

"Jay!" A familiar voice called out to him.

Jay and Amaro spun around. "Javier!" Jay greeted Antonio's brother. "I didn't realize you were called in on this?"

"I may not be SVU… but when I heard the case, I had to come help search."

Amaro looked between them. "Uh?"

"Sorry, Nick Amaro this is Javier Dawson… Antonio's brother."

Amaro shook Javi's hand. "Nice to meet you… didn't realize there was a Dawson here in New York."

"I kinda can't be known… it's hard to do my job if I'm known." Javi said. "How long you been SVU?"

"2011… long enough to know that this search… it's not going to end well." Amaro sighed. "So… uh… what unit you with?"

"Officially?" Javier asked.

"Sure."

Javier leaned in. "I'm in Criminal Intelligence… I specialize in hate crimes and surveillance."

"Damn!" Amaro exclaimed. "You Dawson's are all up in the top of the top."

"Lieutenant Dawson!" Someone called.

"Lieutenant?" Jay asked. "Antonio didn't mention that."

"I just got the promotion. I haven't told anyone but Victoria. It's still new. I now have my own Intelligence squad out of 1-P-P." Javier sighed. "Look, one of my guys found something… I think we should go check it out."

They followed Javier to a secluded part of the beach. Jay and Amaro looked down in the shallow grave. Jay could feel the tears build. Nadia was there. She was partially covered in a tarp and garbage bag.

"Shit." Jay covered his mouth. "No."

"Jay, man… I'm sorry." Amaro patted his arm.

Jay nodded. He walked over to the clearing. "Hey, Sarge."

The rest of them ran over to where Jay, Javier and Amaro were. A K9 uni was pulling the German Shepard away.

"We got her." Amaro said quietly.

Erin walked next to Jay and began to weep when she saw Nadia.

Amaro came to her and said softly. "I'm sorry."

"No…" Erin wept. "No."

Jay pulled her into his arms and held her as she wept.

Voight looked to one of the ESU guys. "Cover her up."

He nodded and covered Nadia's face. Erin wept into Jay's shoulder. Her world was shattered. Her one friend, the one person she had finally saved was brutally murdered by a serial rapist.

Javier observed this scene. This was an SVU case, but his future sister-in-law was also a victim of this nutjob. "Sergeants." He flashed his shield.

"Lieutenant… I didn't realize that NYPD's Intelligence team was on this." Benson said.

"Um… I'm not here to take the case from SVU, Sergeant Benson… I'm here because this monster assaulted my brother's fiancée."

"Who's your brother?" Hank asked.

Javier looked to Hank. "Antonio Dawson… your second in command."

Hank's eyes widened. "I thought I recognized you."

"Yes… look, I just wanted to help… I know that this is bigger than just what happened now, but… someone needs to tell Antonio." Javier replied.

"We'll call him." Hank said.

"NO!" Jay shouted, causing Erin to jump. "Sorry, Erin." He stroked her hair. "Will said that Jes can't have stress… she's already at risk of going into premature labour… it's too soon."

"Look, I can go down… in person and tell Antonio… no one will be the wiser… I have unused vacation hours… so does my wife… she works in the D.A.'s office… and no, she won't be working this case… please."

Hank looked to Olivia. She shrugged. "I can't exactly pull rank… just, make sure that Antonio doesn't want to do anything drastic."

"You got it." He nodded to everyone and headed out.

Jay helped Erin walk away from the scene. He had to get her back to the hotel. She'd need time to cry, be angry or whatever it was going to take to help her process this.

Olivia turned to Hank. "Did you know Antonio's brother worked out of 1-P-P?"

Hank shook his head. "No. I knew he was a cop in New York, but to be honest… I figured he was a detective in Vice or something."

"He outranks me… and everyone here… if he's in Intelligence… he has everything he needs to pull this case."

"Olivia, he won't… I honestly think he just wanted to help… now he's going to do the hardest job… he's telling them about Nadia… Jes… well, she was the closest person to Nadia other than Erin or Trudy."

"I get it, Hank… I do… I just really don't want him to pull this case… I wanna nail this son of a bitch."

Hank pointed out. "Just, let this ride out… no one wants this guy to get away with it."

* * *

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* * *

"Victoria?" Javier said as he called her office.

"Javi? What's going on? Why are you calling?"

"It's about what happened to Jes."

Victoria asked the person in her office to leave. Javi heard a door close. "What about it?"

"They found Nadia."

"Oh God." Victoria gasped. "She…"

"He killed her after he had brutalized her." Javier whispered.

"Oh God!" Victoria exclaimed. "When?"

"We just found her… um… we gotta go to Chicago."

"What? Why?"

"I told Voight and Benson that I'd tell Antonio and Jes. Jay and Will said that Jes is in too delicate of a condition to be told this by strangers or anyone else. Jay can't leave… Erin's a mess… they both are probably gonna have to testify."

"Okay, I'll get the kids… this isn't going to be easy, is it?"

"No, babe. It's not. I hated this when I was on patrol and I hate it even more now as a Lieutenant… hell, I didn't even get a chance to tell anyone."

"I'll see you at home." Victoria said. "I love you."

"Love you too. See you in a bit."

Javier pulled away from the curb and headed home. He'd call his parents to tell them he was coming in, but Antonio couldn't know. This time, he'd have to make sure that Antonio was kept in the dark. He couldn't risk the news getting Jes upset. He also knew that having family tell her over strangers would make the news a little easier to here. He just prayed that she wouldn't go into labour.

They managed to pack everything in under an hour and soon they were on their way to Laguardia to fly out to Chicago. His parents would be waiting to pick the kids up while Victoria and Javi took a rental to Med. The flight was uneventful and they quickly handed their bags off to his parents, kissed the kids and headed off.

* * *

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* * *

"Dr. Halstead?" Kate, one of the main receptionists within Med, asked.

"Yeah?" Will handed the chart he was working on to April. "What's up?" It was 10 at night and visiting hours were over.

"A Lieutenant Dawson from NYPD is here with a woman… they said they need to speak to you."

"Uh, okay?" Will followed her to one of the family privacy room. Will was surprised to see Javier and Victoria waiting for him. "Thanks, Kate. I got it from here."

Kate nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

"Javier, Victoria… what… why are you guys here? Since when are you a lieutenant?"

Javier forced a laugh. "About two weeks ago… It's about Yates."

Will leaned back against the door. "Oh no."

"We've found at least half a dozen skeletal remains on that beach… all with the same type of injuries… some are close to 20 years old."

"Oh God!"

Javi nodded. "Look, uh… we… we found Nadia… in a shallow grave barely covered by a tarp."

Will's hand flew to his mouth. He felt as if he was going to be sick. He liked Nadia. She had been a great help to Jes and she had been waiting to hear back if she had gotten into the Police Academy. "No."

Victoria wiped a tear from her face. "The D.A. on this case, Barba… he said it's the worst case he's ever prosecuted… I recused myself from it when I saw Jes' name pop up… how is she?"

Will ran his hand through his hair. "As good as she can be, considering… I'm really worried she's going to delivery prematurely… she's almost 30 weeks now… it's safe, but the baby will be in NICU… lungs aren't fully developed… she won't be having a natural birth like she wanted…"

"Will, I know you're a doctor… a great one… but Jes and Antonio need to hear this…"

"Jes… no… she can't… she loved Nadia like a little sister." Will protested.

"So did Erin… and she saw the body…" Javier said.

"Jes isn't a cop… she's a teacher… a mother… she has no connection to this world except for the fact that she's marrying a cop…" Will was flustered.

Javier walked over to Will. "I get that… and I don't want to do this, but it has to be better coming from family than strangers."

"How about this… Javier tells Antonio… I'll keep Jes distracted with baby stuff and then they can come in with you and break the news." Victoria suggested.

"Look, Will… I don't want to do this anymore than anyone else, but they both need to know the truth." Javier said. "You really think I want to tell them… especially with Antonio's birthday being in…" He looked at his watch. "Less than 2 hours."

Will groaned. "Awesome. Okay, let's get this over with… we're breaking every rule as it is… why not break another one."

They headed off to Jes' room. Will poked his head in. "Antonio?"

Antonio looked up from the binder he was holding next to Jes. "Hey, we're going over some wedding stuff since she can't sleep. Baby is moving a lot."

Will came into the room and checked the fetal monitor. "Well, moving is good. We're not seeing any labour signs, so that's really good." He sighed. "Jes, you up to having another visitor."

Jes looked at her brother. "It's like 11 at night… visiting hours are over… so…"

"You're the exception to the rule." Will smiled. "Plus, it's family."

Javier and Victoria poked their heads in. "Hey."

"Oh my God, yes… come in." Jes smiled. "It's been so long since we've seen you."

Antonio knew there was an ulterior motive to his brother being here, but he didn't want to upset Jes. "Yeah, guys… come in."

"Antonio, uh… I have some brother stuff to talk to you about… for the baby…"

"Jes, think you'll live with Victoria for a bit?" Antonio smiled.

"Sure… she might have more opinions on some of the wedding details that you don't really help with."

"I think Jes means girl talk…" Will snickered. "I'll go finish some charting. Hit the call button if you need anything." He bent down and kissed the top of Jes' head. "Don't forget to get some sleep tonight."

"I will… Dad." Jes smirked. "Go finish your charting."

Will headed out with Javier and Antonio. Victoria sat next to Jes. "So, what is Antonio not helping with?"

"Flowers and decorations… Jacquie isn't able to help right now and Gaby is with the kids…"

"I'll gladly help." Victoria took the binder from the side stand. "Wow, you're definitely a teacher."

"What does that mean?"

"It's a compliment… everything is perfectly organized and colour coded… I can't ever be this organized. I'm jealous." Victoria smiled. "Okay, so flowers are in the pink tab… wow… you have a great choice selection… where are you stuck?"

"What to have in the hall and church… I have my bouquet picked and the flowers for Jacquie, Gaby and Eva… the boutonnières and the flowers for family… just I don't want orchids and daisies everywhere… I kinda want the fall, farm theme to come through too."

Victoria flipped through the pages. "These sunflower, alstromeria, mum and daisy arrangements with the burlap are beautiful."

"Those are the ones I picked first, but then I started second guessing myself."

"Jes, you go with your gut on so many things… I say follow your gut again."

"Thanks, Victoria." Jes smiled. "You're the only one that isn't treating me like I'm a porcelain doll that's ready to break."

"Jes, you've been through hell… can't deny that, but if you don't start going back to normal… it's going to take forever to heal… plus… I remember what it's like to be pregnant and everyone thinks you can't handle anything."

"You've got that right… even before this… thing… Antonio, Will and Jay treated me like I was made of glass… Eva and Diego wouldn't let me do anything around the house either…"

"It's because they love you and worry about you… even if it drives you up the wall."

Jes sighed. "I made two baby blankets… two quilts… even got a baby book started… everything's ready… I just… I hate not being able to do anything… it sucks."

"I know that." Victoria patted her hand. "But, I know that once you hold that baby for the first time, all of the nagging… and the not being able to do anything… it'll go away and you'll only want to hold that baby. Everything else goes away when you hear the baby cry."

"I know… I just… it's just a long wait still… and now Will and my OB want me to basically be bedridden until it's time to have the baby."

"They just want you and the baby to stay healthy." Victoria smiled. "Javier was that way with me the instant he found out we were having twins."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He wanted me to quit the law firm and stay home in a bubble."

"You didn't listen to him, did you?"

"No, but I did request file review until I took my Mat Leave." Victoria laughed. "It was a compromise. I'm pretty sure that you, Antonio and your doctors can come to one for you too."

"I'm already on leave and they don't want me doing anything." Jes leaned back against the pillow. "I'm not even allowed to cook."

"Maybe I'll talk to Antonio… I can be very convincing."

"I'd appreciate that." Jes smiled.

The two laughed and talked about the things that Jes should still be able to even if she was recommended to bed rest.

 **Meanwhile…**

"Javi… you wanna tell me what you're actually doing here?" Antonio said when they got into the family waiting area. The whole hospital was dead silent at this point of the night. "It's almost midnight… trust me, you're not just here to check up on how Jes is doing… because you could pick up the phone and call or text me."

Javier sighed and leaned against the table. "I did come to check on you and Jes… and I came with other purposes."

Will stood between the two brothers. He didn't know how Antonio would be reacting to this news.

"Javi… talk." Antonio crossed his arms.

"First off, before you hear it from Voight or Benson… I used my rank to do this."

"Rank?" Antonio asked.

"I was promoted to Lieutenant of Criminal Intelligence… I'm working out of 1-P-P now."

"Wow." Antonio said.

"Yeah… Sergeant Benson wasn't thrilled to see me there… but I wasn't there to take the case from SVU… I deal with more UC work and hate crimes… I was there because of what this bastard did to Jes."

"There… there where?"

"Jay or Hank haven't updated you? It's been almost a week."

"No…"

Will interrupted. "I didn't want Jes getting upset, so no one wearing blue or carrying a star was allowed here…"

"Oh boy." Javi ran his hand through his hair. "We got Yates… well SVU did. He was with his fiancée."

"Someone is actually going to … marry that PSYCHO!?" Antonio pounded the table.

"She doesn't see him that way… anyhow… we found out that he likes going to the beach in New York… and we found the car he used once he was here… it had a scarf in it… it was the one Erin gave Nadia… there's blood… so we started going over the beaches."

"You… you found her… didn't you?" Antonio collapsed in a chair.

Javier reached across the table and took his brother's hand. "I'm sorry, 'Tonio… she… one of my guys found her in a shallow grave… barely covered by a tarp."

"Javi… don't lie to me… what did he do to her?" Antonio felt tears slide down his face.

"He brutalized her… she was beaten, he strangled her… the M.E. said it would take at least a day to catalogue all her injuries."

"Jesus Christ." Antonio was choked up. "Oh, God… Nadia was like, like a sister to Jes… wait… did… does Erin know?"

"She was there, Antonio… with Jay and Voight… she lost it."

"So… you're here to tell Jes… to send her into premature labour… cause our son or daughter to be born premature!" Antonio was pissed.

"Antonio, that's not what he's saying." Will said. "Look, I'm not a fan of this either but it's either we all tell Jes… or she finds out from someone else or hears it on the news."

"I thought you said no unis for a while?"

"She's being moved to a step-down unit… in a few more days, she can go home on bed rest." Will answered. "Look, she needs to hear it, no matter how much we don't want her to."

"What if she goes… goes into labour? She's only 30 weeks now." Antonio was trying to hold back the sobs building up. In the time he had known Nadia, she'd gone from an under aged hooker hooked on drugs to a young woman who was going to kick ass in the Police Academy. He had even written a letter of recommendation for her to get in. He knew that Voight, Jay, Platt, Al and Erin had all done the same. She had potential and now it was snuffed out, like a candle in the wind. Jes had taken Nadia under her wing and did mentorship with her. Jes had spoken to the Ivory Tower concerning Nadia and how important it was that she get into the Academy. This was hard on everyone, but a pregnant woman who had been saved by Nadia's selfless act was going to lose it.

"We've been giving her medication to help force the lung development in the baby… we've got her on medication to prevent labour… but if it happens, we'll be ready… we'll do our best to stop it… or we'll deliver the baby and take it to the best NICU in the city. One of my friends here, she's a pediatrician… I'll call her… she'll help."

Antonio wiped away the tears in his eyes. "We don't have a choice, do we?"

Will and Javier shook their heads.

"Okay, then… let's do this."

* * *

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* * *

Jes and Victoria were going over table cloths and other decorations when the guys came back to the room.

"Hey, Antonio!" Jes grinned. "We solved the flowers and most of the decorations!"

Antonio forced a smile. "That's really good, babe."

Victoria nodded. "We also came up with a list of things that Jes can still do even if she is on bed rest."

Will gawked at her. "Seriously? Jes, can't you just stick to being spoiled until the baby comes?"

Jes shook her head. "No, you know me, Will… I hate sitting still."

"I made her promise that she wouldn't overdo it"

"I think we can live with that." Will nodded.

"So, Javi has some big news." Antonio mentioned casually.

Jes turned to Javi. "Really? I could use some good news, please."

"I got promoted to Lieutenant and now I'm running Criminal Intelligence."

"Congratulations!" Jes grinned. "That's really good news. So, now you out rank everyone." She laughed.

"Yeah, yeah." Antonio smirked. "My little brother is higher up the ranks than me… it's not for the lack of the Ivory Tower trying to get me to do the Sergeant's exam."

"Yeah, um… Jes… they also have other news." Will said. He had a team waiting in case Jes had a bad reaction to the news.

Antonio went to Jes' side and took her hand. "Jes, it's about Nadia."

Jes' eyes widened. "What… what about her?"

Javier stood next to the bed while Victoria sat next to her. "Jes, um… I was part of the team looking for Nadia… we caught Yates, Jes… he's in prison… um… this isn't…"

"Baby…" Antonio whispered. "Nadia… Nadia's gone."

"No." Jes' voice broke. "No, she… she can't be gone. She… she saved me."

"I know… I know." Antonio squeezed her hand. He looked to Javier.

"Jes," Javi said softly. "I know that this is hard and you don't want to believe it, but I was there… when they found her… I kind of told Voight and Benson that it would be better for family to tell you than hearing it from Patrol."

Jes wept. "Where's Jay?! He's my family… why isn't he here?!"

"Voight won't let him leave… he and Erin are being called as witnesses since they've worked the case." Victoria said. "He wanted to come. He came to see us before leaving… he's a mess… he's caught between a rock and hard place."

"I'm his SISTER!" Jes cried out. "I should be just as important as Erin!"

Antonio rubbed her hand. "Jes, it's not Erin… he's there because the D.A. there needs his testimony. He wants to be here."

"Then he should be! Will… make him come home!" Jes pleaded.

Will walked to the foot of the bed. "I called him… as soon as he isn't legally required there anymore… he's coming home."

"Nadia… she didn't de… deserve this…" Jes wept. She leaned against Antonio and wept. "Antonio… it's my… my fault."

Antonio wrapped his arm around her. "Jes, this isn't on you." He rubbed her back. "She's a hero… and Yates… he's going to get what he deserves."

Jes nodded against his shoulder. "Let Voight have at him… he shouldn't be allowed to see the light of day again."

"Don't worry… I'm pretty sure that Olivia is preventing Voight from killing him outright… even though we all know he deserves it." Antonio whispered. "If I could, I'd kill him."

Jes sniffled. "Did… did she suffer?"

"Jes… I think right now; you should focus on getting better." Will spoke up before either of the Dawson brothers could say anything.

"Will, I need to know… she off… oh God!" Jes' hands flew to her stomach. "Oh God… no… no…"

"Jes!" Antonio jolted up from his seat. "Baby, what's wrong?"

Jes was crying uncontrollably. "The… the baby… oh God…"

Will pushed Javier and Victoria out of the way and checked the fetal monitor. It was screaming. He hit a button above Jes' bed and alarms began to ring throughout the floor. Nurses began to rush in.

"Will… what's… AHH!" Jes clutched her stomach.

"Will! What's happening?" Antonio demanded.

"Exactly what we were worried about." Will groaned. "She's going into labour."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: This is where I leave it for now. The next chapter will take a little longer to write… um… I recently lost my job so I'm job hunting. I am also writing the next chapter of "Should've Been Us" next. Don't worry, I'll try and get another chapter up ASAP. Thanks for the reviews. They mean the world to me. Love always, Nicole**_


	37. Never Alone

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* * *

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GOING INTO LABOUR!?" Antonio bellowed.

Will wasn't even phased. "Antonio, she's in labour… we knew this was a risk. Yelling at me isn't going to make this any easier or help Jes. Now, hold her hand, shut the fuck up and keep her calm!"

Antonio froze. He had never seen Will lose his calm before. He shut his mouth and jumped to the head of the bed to try and keep Jes calm. Javier and Victoria had been escorted out of the room by one of the other nurses.

"Antonio… it's… no… make it stop!" Jes was panicked. "It's too soon."

Antonio leaned in close and whispered. "Jes, they're doing everything they can… but you need to stay calm… baby, I know… I'm terrified… just breathe… okay, we're both going to breathe."

Will was thankful that Antonio was able to get Jes to focus on her breathing a little bit. "Get Dr. Mayo in here! Or any OB! Page Dr. Manning!" People were flying around the room. Will was trying to figure out why her fetal monitor was screaming. It didn't make any sense. The baby's heartrate had been normal up until her labour had started. "Someone get an ultrasound in here!"

Hannah, the nurse, soon reappeared with an ultrasound machine and Dr. Mayo in tow.

"What the hell is going on?" Dr. Mayo demanded. "Dr. Halstead, I thought everything was fine."

"It was… until we got the news that the girl that offered herself up to save Jes had been found… murdered… then this happened."

"I thought we had agreed that we weren't going to allow her to be stressed? Even with the steroids, the baby isn't ready." Dr. Mayo whispered.

"I know, sir… but she demanded to know…"

"What's the ultrasound for?" Dr. Mayo asked.

"The fetal heart rate isn't making any sense." Will handed Dr. Mayo the monitor strip.

"Give me the ultrasound." Dr. Mayo took the wand and began an ultrasound. "What the hell?"

Will's jaw dropped as he watched the screen. "How did we miss that?"

"Miss what?!" Antonio demanded. "What's all the whispering about?"

"Um… guys…" Will said as he turned the monitor towards them. "You're having twins."

"What?!" Jes gasped. "Ow… oh… how… how did we miss that?"

Dr. Mayo sighed. "In rare cases of identical twins, they stay nestled exactly next to each other and their hearts beat in sync… right up until labour, when the first twin drops for the birthing process."

Jes was weeping. She had never thought she'd been able to get pregnant, now here she was having twins. "Make it stop… they're not… AH!"

Antonio's eyes were filled with tears. "Will, Dr. Mayo… please, stop the labour."

"We're trying, guys." Will took another syringe and plunged it into the IV. "Push more of the Magnesium. We gotta try and stop this… give these babies a little more time."

"Push more of the steroids." Dr. Mayo added. "I'm going to check her dilation."

"I didn't think she could deliver… naturally?" Antonio asked, rubbing Jes' back.

"She can't… but if she's fully dilated… or her water breaks… there's no way of stopping the labour." Will explained.

"Wait… if you…" Jes groaned as another contraction hit her. "You can't stop it… I can't have… a na…"

"Her membrane's ruptured." Dr. Mayo said. "Get an OR. We've gotta get her prepped for a C-Section, now!"

"No!" Jes screamed. "I don't want a section."

"Jes, baby, you don't have a choice." Antonio put his forehead to hers. "I know… I know how much you wanted a natural birth, but we… you can't… not this time."

"Antonio… I'm scared." Jes' breathing was getting laboured. "I… I can't… breathe."

Will grabbed a non-rebreather oxygen mask and put it over Jes' face. "Sis, focus on your breathing… squeeze Antonio's hand. We've got you and we've got the babies. Just… breathe."

Jes nodded weakly.

Hannah leaned in and whispered to Will. "Dr. Halstead, her pulse ox is under 95… we've gotta move."

Will nodded. "Where's Dr. Manning?"

"I'm here, Will." Natalie Manning poked her head in. "What's up?"

"My sister… just went into active labour… couldn't stop it… we've been pumping corticosteroids for the babies' lungs."

"Babies?" Natalie asked.

Dr. Mayo nodded. "Identical twins… heartbeats in sync until she went into labour."

"Shit. Okay, I'll get the neonatal team ready." Natalie was about to run out of the room. "Wait, did you say sister?"

"Yeah… my baby sister… Natalie… you do everything, and I mean everything! The Mayor is on this… the CPD… everyone… look, just… I'll explain later, but save these babies."

She nodded and ran out of the room, yelling for the Neo-Natal team to meet her in the OR with two incubators and be prepared for preemie twins.

Jes was weeping. Between the pain of labour and the fact that she was having her children 10 weeks early, she was a wreck. Antonio didn't know what to do. He had heard stories of twins being born early. He knew that Javier and Victoria's twins had been 3 weeks premature, but his own children were now being born 10 weeks too early. They didn't know what the future was holding for them.

Antonio looked to the doctors. "Can I go with her?"

Will nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to assist Dr. Mayo… you're gonna be there to keep her calm…"

"You're not putting…oh fuck!" Jes clutched her stomach. This was the most pain she'd ever felt. Even the car accident hadn't been this painful. "Me… under?"

"No… I'd rather not have you under. We'll do an epidural… I want you to hear the babies cry." Dr. Mayo patted her shoulder. "We're going to move you now… we can't wait much longer."

The nurses led Antonio to the gowning room while others rolled Jes into the OR and got her prepped for the epidural. Antonio gowned up and looked to Maggie. "Is she going to be okay?"

Maggie didn't know. "She's got the best doctors and nurses with her… Dr. Manning is an amazing Pedes doc… you just focus on her breathing and staying calm, okay?" She took a mask and put it over his face. "Hold her hand, and talk to her. Your focus needs to be strictly on her, let Will and Dr. Mayo focus on the twins. You're a great dad, Antonio… just keep up the strength."

"Maggie… have Javi call my parents, and uh… Jay needs…"

"I'll handle it." Maggie smiled. "Go. Be with her."

Antonio walked into the OR. He was terrified. Jes was lying flat on the table. They had her on an oxygen mask and they were draping her for the procedure. Will and Dr. Mayo were scrubbing in. He sat on the stool that one of the nurses offered him and he went to Jes' side. "Baby, I'm here."

"Antonio… I'm scared… it's too early… what if they're not healthy… what if I hurt them?"

"No, Jes… don't… don't talk that way. None of this is your fault." Antonio took her hand. "The babies are going to be okay. You're going to be okay. I love you, Jeslyn. You're so strong… so brave."

"I love you, Antonio."

"Alright, guys… we're gonna start." Will said as he approached the operating table. "Jes, you may feel pressure… that's normal. Antonio, help her focus on her breathing… we'll have these babies out in no time."

Dr. Mayo asked. "Scalpel?"

Soon the procedure was underway. Jes could feel pressure but no pain. She listened as Antonio told her how to breathe. She focused on his voice. She knew that together they'd get through this. She just prayed their children were going to be okay.

"Okay, we've got the first twin." Dr. Mayo announce. "It's a boy."

"We have a son, Jes." Antonio whispered.

"Why isn't he crying?" Jes asked.

"He's small." Antonio reasoned.

Soon a tiny cry filled the room. "Okay, well, let's take a look at you little one." Natalie took the baby over to a warmer. "Let's check his APGAR score. Get me a heel stick too. Type and cross for blood and let's get him cleaned up."

"Okay, Jes… we're getting baby number two." Will said calmly.

"It's going to be another boy." Jes tried to laughed, but she hurt too much.

"Yes." Will smiled. "It is another boy."

This time the room stayed silent. No tiny cry escaped the baby's lips.

"Antonio, what's wrong?"

"Will?" Antonio asked.

Will clamped the umbilical cord and cut it. He rushed the baby over to the over NICU team.

"Antonio… why isn't he crying?" Jes wept. "Oh…"

Monitors started screaming.

"Doctors!" A nurse cried out. "Her pressure's bottoming out."

Jes was unconscious.

"Will! Do something!"

"Get him out of here!" Dr. Mayo ordered.

"No! What's going on?" Antonio needed to know what was happening to Jes.

"She's hemorrhaging." Dr. Mayo said. "Packed cells, hang 2 units, wide open. Get him out of here!"

Just as Antonio was being pushed out of the OR, he heard it. Jes' heart stopped as the monitor flatlined.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes felt like she was floating. The last thing she remembered was someone saying she was bleeding out, then everything went black. When she opened her eyes, she was in a white space. She blinked. "Where am I?"

"Some people would call it limbo." A familiar voice said.

Jes spun around. "Daddy?"

Michel Bellamy smiled. "Yes, Jeslyn."

"Am… Am I dead?" Jes asked as she ran to hug her father.

Michel shook his head. "No… not yet… you're here because you can make a choice."

"What… what do you mean?"

"He means that you can choose to come with us… or stay and fight for your family." A soft, feminine voice came from the shadows.

"Nadia?" Jes asked.

Nadia stepped into the light. She looked as beautiful as the last day Jes saw her. "Yes, Jes. It's me… and I know… you probably thought I'd look worse than this?"

Jes nodded and went to hug her. "How?"

"You believe in the afterlife… heaven…" Nadia started. "This is a… we'll call it a waiting point… because you actually have a choice right now."

"Since when do people get a choice if they live or die?" Jes asked.

"Come…" Michel motioned. "That's… that's what we're here to explain."

"But how?" Jes was confused. "Why does all this keep happening? Nadia… Daddy, all you guys did was try to save other people."

"Yes, but Jes… I signed for that when I rejoined the Army." Michel answered.

"I knew the risk of having Yates take me, Jes… but I couldn't let him kill you, Jes… you are too important… too kind… to let that monster kill you."

"But, I'm here… I'm dying." Jes argued.

"No, the doctors are working their asses off to save your life." Michel took her hand. "You can choose if you go back… or if you want to give up, and come with us… you won't feel any pain… it'll be like a deep sleep."

"Or…" Nadia intervened. "You can fight, stay alive and go back to those two beautiful baby boys who are going to need their mom. It won't be easy, but you've been through so much, Jes… you're strong… you're a hero… I only… I only wish I could be with you… watch you… learn from you."

"I don't want to go back and have to live knowing you died because of me."

"I didn't die because of you." Nadia reassured her. "I died because of that monster. I didn't want him to do anything to you or those babies… you're destined for amazing things, Jes… because of you, so many teens are on a better path now… less drugs, less gangs… I couldn't just let him take that away. These kids need you, Eva and Diego… the babies… even though you didn't know you were having twins… they all need you."

"But, we need you too, Nadia." Jes begged.

"I think, my job now is to be a guardian angel for those two boys, and any other kids you and Antonio decide to have." Nadia smiled. "Jes, I know it hurts… and I'm pretty sure that you think coming with us is the easy way out…"

"My darling, my beautiful baby girl." Michel touched her cheek. "I wish every day, every single day that I could've been there… to protect… to watch you fall in love… to meet my grandchildren…"

"Daddy…" Jes wept.

"I'd give anything for that chance… but…I don't want you to stay with us… I want you to fight, Jeslyn… fight… live… no matter how much it hurts now… I love you, always… I'm always with you… you'll never be alone." He wiped away her tears.

"I'm terrified." Jes admitted. "I'm so scared that the babies won't be healthy… that I'll be a horrible mother… that I won't be good enough."

"Jes… stop." Nadia stopped her. "You'll be the best mom out there… you already are with Eva and Diego… and every other kid at P2K… those babies will be strong and healthy… look at who their parents are."

"I don't want to have leave you."

"Jes, we're always… always going to be with you." Michel said. "We're in your heart… you'll never be alone… every time you fall… you hurt… you feel that you can't go on… we're here… helping you… guiding you."

"Jes… it's time…" Nadia whispered. "You have to choose now. But, your dad is right. You'll never be alone… neither will the kids… or Antonio… we're always with you."

"Okay." Jes sniffled. "I'm gonna fight… Daddy…"

"It's okay, baby… it's okay. I'll take good care of Nadia… take care of those babies… they'll always be safe."

"Tell Erin… that I'm okay… tell her not to blame herself…" Nadia begged.

"I will." Jes hugged them both one last time before darkness consumed her once again.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

"We've got a pulse… it's faint… but it's there!" Will shouted.

"The bleedings under control… she won't need a hysterectomy." Dr. Mayo sighed in relief.

"Thank God." Will sighed. "Let's finish this and get her to recovery."

Dr. Mayo nodded. "I've got this. Go tell him the news."

"You sure?"

"Go, go." Dr. Mayo took some sutures to begin to stitch Jes up.

Will ripped off his gown and gloves and went in search of Antonio. He found him standing outside the NICU doors. "Antonio."

Antonio spun around, tears streaming down his face. "Please… please tell me that Jes is alive… that… that she's going to be okay."

"Come sit."

"Oh, no!" Antonio collapsed against Will. "No!"

"Antonio, Jes is alive… we stopped the bleeding… she didn't need a hysterectomy… she's in serious condition, but she's stable."

Antonio froze. "You're telling the truth?"

"I am. Dr. Mayo was just closing and they're moving her to recovery." Will smiled. "They're all okay."

"I… I haven't found the courage to go inside yet." Antonio nodded towards the NICU doors. "I'm so scared… more scared than on any mission, raid or even when Eva and Diego were born."

"I'll… I'll come with you… they're my nephews… they need family there." Will reassured him. "Come on. We'll have to gown up again."

Will and Antonio slowly made their way into the NICU. Nurses there helped them gown up and showed them to where the twins were. Will was thankful that they were the only two babies in this part of the ward. It allowed them to have all the attention they needed and allowed for more than one parent or relative at a time. They walked up to the two incubators. On the foot of each incubator was a little label that read, 'Baby Boy Dawson'.

Antonio wiped away a tear. "They're so tiny."

"I know, Antonio." Will put his hand on Antonio's shoulder. "But they're strong and they're fighters, like you and like Jes."

"How… how big?" Antonio looked into the incubators. His sons were covered in tubes and wires. Their diapers were bigger than they were.

"The first one is 3 pounds 5 ounces and the second is 3 pounds even."

"Oh God." Antonio whispered.

"You can touch them." Will said. "Babies respond better to their parents' touch."

"He's right." Natalie's voice came from behind them.

"Dr. Manning." Will greeted her.

"Hi, Will." Natalie smiled. "Is this Daddy?"

"My future brother-in-law, Antonio Dawson. Yeah, he's their dad."

"Mr. Dawson…" Natalie said.

Will leaned in. "He's a Detective."

"OH! Detective…" Natalie stood on the other side of one of the incubators.

"Just Antonio is fine." Antonio laughed.

"Antonio. Your sons are small but for being born this early, they most definitely are fighters." Natalie said. "Would you like to hold one?"

"Can I? I mean, is it safe… for them to be out?" Antonio was beginning to freak out again.

"Oh, God, yes… Antonio, those babies will do so much better if you hold them."

Will pulled the rocking chair from against the wall. "Here, sit."

Antonio sat in the chair. Natalie reached into the incubator and carefully took his son out. She laid him in Antonio's arms.

"Okay, I know there's a lot of wires and tubes, but this isn't hurting him. He just wants his daddy."

"Antonio, you guys are going to get through this."

Antonio nodded. "Jes and I only had one boy name."

"When she's up, we'll bring you guys back, and you can pick another name." Natalie laughed. "Talk to him, sing to him. Just let him know you're here for him."

"We'll be right outside."

"And, they're both healthy?" Antonio asked before they left.

"We'll be monitoring their lungs, but otherwise, yeah." Natalie grinned.

Will and Natalie left, leaving Antonio alone with his sons.

"How is your sister doing?" Natalie asked as they went to check on the twins' charts.

"She's alive… stable… but it's a long road to recovery."

"Are the rumours true?" She asked quietly.

"Which rumours?" Will answered her question with another one.

"That… that doctor… Yates…"

Will put his hand up. He could see where this was going. "Yeah… he beat my sister, raped her… did God knows what else, then kidnapped our brother's girlfriend's best friend and drove her to New York… what he did to her… I can't repeat… but that news… is what sent Jes into labour… it's why my nephews are in incubators instead of their mother's womb for another two months."

"I'm sorry, Will."

"I'll be okay… Are you sure you want to be back at work so fast?"

"I can't sit at home, and listen to pity phone calls. He's gone… he died in combat… I'm going to raise our child alone." Natalie sighed. "He never even got to see an ultrasound or anything. But, I'm going to be okay."

"You know; you've got another family here." Will encouraged her. "I know April and Maggie are like mother hens to you."

Natalie laughed. "Oh, I know."

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Antonio gently rocked in the chair. "Hi, little one. I'm your daddy." He whispered. "You and your brother were such a surprise… but your mommy and I will love you… you're already so loved… Your big sister and brother can't wait to meet you either. Once you're big and strong, they'll come see you. They have so many things they want to teach you." The baby yawned a little. Antonio was so thankful that he didn't need to be intubated. They just had a CPAP to help them breathe. "We love you… so much… I can't wait for Mommy to come see you and meet you. She's been so anxious and excited to meet you."

Will poked his head in. "Hey, how you doing?"

"Can I kiss him?" Antonio asked.

"Of course. Uh, just wanted to let you know they're moving Jes to her own room. You should maybe be there when she wakes up." Will came into the room.

Antonio kissed the top of his son's head. "Te amo, mijo… so much."

Will helped put the baby back into the incubator.

"Can I touch his brother?"

Will flipped open one of the little holes. "Here."

Antonio slipped his hand in and gently stroked his other son's cheek. "Daddy's right here… for both of you." He pulled his hand back. "Let's go see Jes… she'll need to know that they're okay."

Will nodded. "Antonio, just… keep her calm… right now, we can't risk her blood pressure going up… or her jolting around."

"I got it." Antonio's voice cracked. "If I have to, I'll walk away from the CPD if it means that Jes and our children will be safe and healthy."

"Don't jump to any conclusions yet." Will said. "Just focus on the here and now."

They walked towards the Maternity ward where Jes had been brought. "Did you call my parents? Gaby? Jay?"

"Javier got a hold of your parents and Gaby and he talked to Jay… they said they'd come when you wanted them here."

"What did Jay say?"

"Javier said he cursed a string of vulgarities and punch a wall. He's beyond pissed off right now. I uh, I also called Voight… he knows… and he's fighting his own urges as well as preventing Jay from killing Yates out right for what he's done." Will replied.

"Any news on the trial?"

"Not yet. Javier has Victoria constantly calling for updates."

"Why?" Antonio rubbed hand sanitizer on his hands and arms.

"There are… rumours… that Yates may want to defend himself… and others… that they're going to subpoena Jes… as a witness." Will said hesitantly.

"They… what?! Oh fuck no!" Antonio exclaimed. "She's not testifying… she's not going to New York… she's never going to be near the bastard… ever again!"

"I said, they are rumours." Will said calmly. "Don't talk to Jes about it… talk to her about your sons… talk about another name… when she's cleared for it, we'll wheel her down to the NICU and you can introduce your sons to their mother. THAT is all that matters."

Antonio nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry, you have every right to be furious… I'm furious… and those aren't my children… she's my sister… but that's different than a wife and mother."

"Will, I don't know much more of this she can take."

"She's tough… she's got you and the kids… we're all here for her." Will stopped. "You go in, alone… talk to her… tell her what she needs to know… and that's it."

"Thank you." Antonio hugged him. He slid the door open and slipped inside.

Will sighed. He knew this was far from over. Yates wasn't going to just disappear.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio had to take a moment to recompose himself before going next to Jes' bed. He was starting to get fed up of continuously see her in a hospital bed. He wanted nothing more than to take her home or get her away from all of this. He sat next to her and gently took her hand. "Hey, Jes… I'm here."

Jes stirred a little. "An… Antonio?" Her voice was hoarse again. Obviously, she had been intubated again in the process of saving her life.

"I'm here. It's okay. Just rest. You're safe."

"What… what happened? The… the babies?"

"You… you remember?"

Jes nodded. "A little… uh… Javi and Victoria were here… they told us… that… um… Nadia… was killed."

"Jes, no… we… we don't need to talk about that."

"She came to me… when the alarms started blaring after the babies… our sons were born."

"Who? Jes, what are you talking about?"

Jes sighed. "I died, Antonio… I know that…"

"Jes…"

"There was this… this white room… and Nadia was there… with my dad."

Antonio was in shock. He knew that people had near death experiences, he'd had his share, but he never heard of a white room or people seeing dead loved ones. "Okay?"

"They told me I could choose… to go with them, be at peace… no more pain… or I could choose to fight and come home to you and our sons."

"You chose to fight."

"I did… Nadia… Nadia made a convincing argument."

"What was her argument?"

"She told me that I had already done so much to better the lives of kids, that I needed to be here for our kids… to help get the rest of these kids out of the gangs on and off the streets." Jes squeezed his hand. "They promised me that… that they'd be there as the kids' guardian angels… Daddy promised to keep Nadia safe."

"Jes… I… I don't know what to say." Antonio said. "This… I almost lost you…"

"I know… I wanted to go with them, at first… to not have to suffer… to not have to deal with the shame…"

"Jes…"

"I said at first… Nadia… she told me how important it was for our sons to have their mother… for Eva and Diego… for you." Jes kissed his hand. "I love you, Antonio… I would've been selfish not to fight."

"Jes…"

"Did… did they have to… do a hysterectomy?"

Antonio shook his head. "No… miraculously… they stopped the bleeding before they had to go there… Jes… you scared me… I can't raise four kids on my own."

"I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." Jes smiled. "Have you seen them? Our sons?"

Antonio nodded. "They're small but they're fighters… like you."

"We need another boy name." Jes sighed. "I honestly… I honestly never thought I could have children, now here we are with twins…"

"I know… I was thinking the same thing." Antonio said.

"Mateo… are we still going with that?"

"It was our main pick." Antonio said. "What are you thinking?"

"I want to stick with it… and we need another strong name."

"Do you want another Spanish name… or French?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know… we hadn't gotten that far… remember… one baby was a miracle." Jes whispered. "Two… is a way bigger miracle… we need a name that fits that."

"Okay, do you want another 'M' name?"

Jes shook her head. "There's no way I want to do that… sharing a letter thing… I know a lot of old school twins were named that way, but… we're not that old school."

"Okay…" Antonio laughed. "What kind of names?"

"Do you have you phone?" Jes smiled.

Antonio nodded and handed it to her. "Using Google, are we?"

"We don't have a baby name book here, and I'd really like to have names picked before we… we go see them…" Jes' voice cracked.

"Okay." Antonio leaned over and watched as Jes typed in 'baby boy names that mean miracle or gift'.

"I like these two." Jes pointed to the screen.

"Jesse or Jonathan?"

"Jesse and Jonathan… both mean gift from God." Jes said.

"You have a thing for 'J's, did you notice that?" Antonio pointed out. "Your name starts with J… Jay… starts with J… Jacquie…"

"I get that." Jes smirked. "I think they're perfect names."

"Okay… then, coin toss?" Antonio reached into his pocket. "Heads for Jesse and tails for Jonathan?"

"Sure." Jes was happy that they had actually come to a fairly easy solution.

Antonio tossed the coin up and caught it. "And, it's Jonathan. Hey, babe… you sure you want the baby to have a name that long."

"It's not so bad." Jes said.

"Well, it isn't if we don't have middle names… which you very adamantly insisted that they have."

"Oh… well… maybe we can shorten it."

"Like what?"

"Jon?" Jes suggested.

"Game of Thrones reference?"

"No, just Jon… it's still similar… still means gift… just not Apostle John."

"Okay, Jonathan it is, and if need be, we shorten it to Jon." Antonio kissed her. "Have we even talked middle names?"

"No, but we haven't asked for godparents either."

"Who are you thinking?"

"Traditionally it would be family… I have two brothers to choose from, you have one… you're also really close with Kevin… you pick."

"I think that Jay and Javier would be great godfathers."

"Victoria could be a godmother… I kinda already asked Jacquie."

"Okay, well… I think it's decided."

Jes nodded. "Mateo Javier Dawson and Jonathan Jay Dawson."

"Works for me." Antonio smiled. "You, uh… feeling up to going to meet them?"

Jes nodded. "God, yes… please…"

Antonio reached over and pushed the call button.

Will poked his head in and in his best Lurch impression, he said. "You rang."

"Will, don't make me laugh, please."

"Sorry. How you feeling?" Will asked.

"I hurt, but I think I'll feel a lot better holding my sons."

Will smiled. "They want their mom… it'll be good for everyone… uh, did Antonio give you the heads up on what to expect in there."

"No, we… we focused on names instead."

"Ah, well… that's a good start." Will hugged his sister. "What are my adorable nephews' names?"

"Mateo Javier and Jonathan Jay."

"Beautiful strong names." Will said.

"They both mean 'gift from God'." Jes whispered.

"Well, sis, that they definitely are… um, we'll have to gown you… and the boys are hooked up to a CPAP machine… that means they're breathing on their own but the machine helps make sure their lungs stay open and work properly. They have IVs… some heart monitors… it's all normal… they are small… umm… Mateo is the first one?"

Antonio nodded.

"Mateo is 3 pounds 5 ounces and Jonathan is 3 pounds even… they're tough like you and Antonio."

"Um, before all this, I read about kangaroo care… how it helps the baby bond with their mother… helps build immunity… can… can I do that?" Jes asked as they helped her get into a wheelchair.

"I bet if we ask Dr. Manning, the twins' pediatrician… she can tell you."

"Okay." Jes whispered as they headed off to the NICU together. She clung to Antonio's hand the whole way.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

They were greeted by Dr. Manning at the desk. She smiled kindly to Jes. "Hi, Jes… I'm Natalie… I'm the one watching over your little boys."

"Hi Natalie." Jes shook her hand. "Thank you… Will said you're the best."

"Well… I'll take whatever compliments I can get." Natalie said.

"Um, Will said I should ask you about giving them kangaroo care."

Natalie nodded. "Kangaroo care is strongly encouraged. Considering the boys have bare minimum needs, it's definitely going to help them get stronger faster." She turned to Hannah. "Let's get the room set up for that, then Jes and Antonio can go in there."

Hannah nodded and headed to the room where Jonathan and Mateo were.

"Um, Antonio… would you be into helping Jes with the Kangaroo care?"

"Sure… but I'm not sure what it means."

"It means that they put the baby on your bare chest and then cover you with a blanket. It's really good for preemies… they recognize your voice and even your scent… it helps them regulate their body temperature and heart rates… some doctors are against it… I'm personally all for it." Natalie concluded.

"But, what about the gowns and all that?" Antonio was a little confused.

"You haven't run through mud lately, have you, Detective?" Natalie asked.

"No."

"Then, it's safe for them."

"We named them." Jes whispered.

"Oh, perfect." Natalie said. "We'll get their birth certificates finalized too. What are their names."

"The bigger twin is Mateo Javier and the smaller, Jonathan Jay." Antonio squeezed Jes' hand.

"Okay, good."

Hannah returned. "All ready, Dr. Manning."

"Perfect. Uh, Will… can you get to working on their birth certificates? We'll get Jes and Antonio set up?"

"Sure thing." Will kissed his sister's cheek. "It's going to be okay."

Antonio wheeled Jes towards the twins' room. There was a second chair now. They helped Jes onto it and Natalie undid the back of her gown.

"Okay, so Jes, we're going to take Mateo and put him on your chest, then we're going to cover you both in a blanket."

Jes nodded. Hannah undid her gown while Natalie took Mateo from the incubator. He cried a little bit as he was moved from his little home.

Natalie shushed him. "Shh, Mateo… it's okay. Mommy's right here." She gently placed Mateo on Jes' chest.

The instant Mateo's skin touched Jes', his crying stopped. A tear fell from Jes' eye. "Oh, oh my… he's so small."

"He knows his mom." Hannah smiled. "It's going to be okay." She wiped the tear from Jes' cheek. "You're not going to hurt him."

Natalie draped a blanket across Jes and Mateo. She turned to Antonio. "You can lose the shirt, Antonio… Kangaroo care means bare chest."

"Oh… right." Antonio blushed.

"Antonio, I'm not overly worried… just… hold Jonathan… this is the best… best feeling ever." Jes was humming to Jonathan now.

Antonio pulled off his shirt and hung it on the back of Jes' wheelchair. He sat in the chair next to Jes. Hannah laid Jonathan on his bare chest. Natalie draped the blanket across them. Jes had been right. Holding him like this was better than being gowned up like a HAZMAT operator. Jonathan's breathing began to regulate. "Wow."

Natalie smiled. "If you need anything, just push the button that's between you. For now, enjoy your time with your sons."

Hannah and Natalie left the room.

"Antonio, they're so small, but they're perfect." Jes put her pinky finger in Mateo's hand. He instinctively squeezed it. "My heart hurts with all the love I feel right now. I'm so, so happy that I fought."

"I am too." Antonio kissed the top of Jonathan's head. "How are we going to tell them apart?"

Jes looked between their two sons. "Good question… right now, it's easy because they're a little different in size, but that'll change."

"They have dark hair… did you notice that?" Antonio smiled.

"It's adorable… I wonder if it'll be curly like mine." Jes whispered.

"Who knows." Antonio gave his pinky to Jonathan. Like his brother, he grasped onto it tightly. "Wow… he's got a strong grip."

"That's a good sign." Jes smiled. "Oh, God… our house isn't ready for twins."

"We'll worry about that later… let's just focus on you and them getting healthy." Antonio said.

There was a knock at the door. Will poked his head in. "Hey, uh… someone is very eager to talk to Jes…" He held out an iPad.

"Who is it?" Antonio asked.

"Antonio?" Jay's voice came from the iPad.

"Jay." Jes gasped. She looked to Antonio and nodded.

"Yeah, we'll talk to him." He replied.

Will grabbed a stool and sat down before turning the iPad to face Jes and Antonio.

"Hey, Jay." Jes said. She could see he'd been crying. His eyes were red.

"Jes." Jay gasped. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Jay… don't… please don't apologize…" Jes said cautiously. "I don't think I can handle any more of that."

"Jes, I should be there."

"Jay, you're doing your job." Jes countered.

"Jay, we get it… but you are needed there." Antonio added. "Look, Jes is alive… she's going to recover."

"Javi said that… that she went into labour."

Jes looked to Will. "You didn't tell him?"

"Not my place, sis." Will said. "I told him that and that alone… the rest… he needed to hear from you and Antonio."

"Can you guys tell me? Please… I've been worried sick for almost 15 hours now."

"It's… it's been that long?" Jes had lost all track of time.

"You went into labour just before midnight." Antonio said.

"Wait… what day is it?" Jes asked him.

"May 24." Antonio answered.

"Your birthday." Jes whispered.

Will looked between the couple. "Oh shit."

"What exactly am I missing?" Jay asked from the iPad.

"May 24… is my birthday." Antonio answered.

"And your sons' too." Will said. "They share their birthday with you."

"Sons? Plural? Can… can someone please fill me in?" Jay pleaded.

"I had identical twins…" Jes replied. "One was hiding behind the other this whole time… they didn't see him until my labour started."

"We had to do a C-Section." Will added.

"Um… I almost died… actually… I did die." Jes said. "And, I had a completely unique experience… I saw Daddy… and Nadia."

"Jes?" Will asked.

Jay was just as lost. "What?"

"They said I had a choice… fight and live or just go with them… after some convincing, I chose to fight, Jay… for our family… for my sons… for Daddy and Nadia… She… she told me that she'd always watch over the twins as their guardian angel… she… also told me to tell Erin not to blame herself. That Nadia isn't suffering and that Erin can't feel like this is her fault."

Jay was taken back. He knew Jes' faith was one thing, but this near-death-experience sounded a legitimate as anything else. Nadia would tell Jes that. "I'm so glad… happy that you chose to fight, Jes… this world is so much better with you in it." He cleared his throat. "Can… can I see my nephews?"

Jes smiled, blinking away the tears. "Yeah. Uh, Will… a little help?"

Will got up, keeping the iPad stable, and lifted the blanket to reveal Mateo's face. "Can you see him?"

"Oh Wow!" Jay gasped. "He's so small… is, is he okay?"

"Yeah, Jay. He is. This is Mateo Javier Dawson. He's the bigger one of the two… a whole 3 pounds and 5 ounces." Jes whispered. "And he's perfect."

Will covered Jes and Mateo back up and went to Antonio, who had already uncovered Jonathan's face.

Antonio introduced him. "Jay, meet Jonathan Jay Dawson."

"Jonathan Jay?" Jay's voice cracked.

Will smiled to Jes. "Ask him." He mouthed.

"Jay, would you be Jonathan's godfather with Jacquie?"

"Yes… I would be honoured." Jay's voice was shaking. "Jes, as soon as I can… I'm coming home… I want to see these guys in person."

"We'll be here." Antonio smiled as he covered up Jonathan. "Look, uh, I'll call you tomorrow… Jes and the twins need rest, and I think Jes needs to feed them."

"Oh, yeah… yeah… I'll be by my phone. Kiss those beautiful babies for me… I love you guys." Jay said before ending the Skype call.

"Can I?" Jes asked Will as he put the iPad away.

"Yeah. We'll disconnect their CPAPs temporarily, and you can definitely feed them. Actually, breastfeeding them is probably the best thing. Your body produces extra proteins, vitamins and calories that they'll need to grow stronger… if they don't nurse as often as you need to relieve the pressure, we'll get you set up to pump and we'll store the milk for them."

"Can Natalie come and uh, help?" Jes asked, stroking Mateo's cheek. "I love you, Will and you saved mine and their lives, but I'd really rather not have my big brother teach me how to breastfeed."

Will's cheeks flooded with colour. "I get it. I'll go get her."

"You just embarrassed the hell out of your big brother." Antonio whispered.

"He did it to me a few times growing up." Jes was admiring her son. "Is Jonathan's breathing okay?"

"Yeah. His breathing and heartbeat seem to have leveled out." Antonio motioned to Jonathan's heart monitor. He stroked Jonathan's hair. "He's perfect."

"They both are."

"Hey, guys." Natalie said as she came in the room. "Will says you want to try and nurse the boys?"

Jes nodded. "Yes, the rest of my birthing plan when out the window… I don't want to lose this part. Will said that my milk is best for them right now?"

"Yeah, your body knows how to take care of the babies… even if they're early. Who's first?"

"May as well start with Mateo… He's already here." Jes said.

"Okay. Just let me disconnect his CPAP." Natalie quickly undid the CPAP.

"Is he going to be able to breathe on his own without it?" Antonio asked.

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, but to be safe, I'm gonna stick around and make sure everything goes smoothly. So, Jes… this is going to sound weird… but I want you to move him closer to your breast and kinda guide his mouth. If he's hungry, he'll latch on… it'll take a little bit of time, but the milk will flow. Don't panic if it doesn't happen right, right away."

Jes did as she was asked. It didn't take long before Mateo's tiny mouth latched onto her. "Oh, ouch!"

"Jes?" Antonio asked.

"That's smart… he's like a little vacuum cleaner." Jes groaned. "Oh… I feel it… he's nursing."

Natalie smiled. "Yep. Good. Mateo will grow better with mommy's milk over any formula we could ever give him. It's going to be weird at first, the sensation… but it's going to become so natural, it won't be a surprise anymore."

"Is that your second baby?" Jes asked.

Natalie's hand went to her belly. "Uh, no… my first."

"But, you know so much about all this." Jes said.

"I've gone to my share of pre-natal classes and I did specialize in this."

Jes blushed. "Oh, right… sorry… I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay, Jes… this is all new to you… you can ask all the questions you want."

"How do I know when he's done?" Jes was worried he'd get sick from getting too much.

"He'll just stop on his own. That's normal. It can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour."

"He could eat like this for an hour?!" Jes exclaimed. "Oh boy."

"Most preemies don't last that long… it's usually 10-15 minutes for the first few times, until they get a little bigger."

Jes sighed in relief. "Thank God… I don't know if I have the energy to nurse for an hour straight."

"It's okay, Jes… one step at a time." Natalie reassured her.

Mateo nursed for a little under 15 minutes before he was asleep. Natalie carefully took him.

Antonio placed Jonathan on Jes and smiled. "You've got this, baby… you're a natural." He kissed her. "They're going to be home with us in no time."

"He's just as strong as his brother." Jes winced as Jonathan latched onto her other breast. "Oh…"

"It's okay." Antonio rubbed her shoulder. "You're doing great."

After about 15 minutes, Jonathan was also back in his incubator. Both boys were sound asleep. Antonio pulled his shirt back on and help Jes back into her wheelchair. He pushed her back to her room. Will and Maggie helped her into bed.

"How you feeling?" Will asked her as Maggie took her vitals.

"Tired." Jes yawned. "Antonio… we forgot to discuss circumcision."

"That can wait til morning." Antonio shook his head. "They're not leaving tomorrow."

"Antonio's right." Will said. "Get some sleep."

Jes didn't need to be told twice. She closed her eyes and went into a peaceful sleep.

"Antonio, you should get some sleep… you've been here over a week."

"My sons are here… Jes is here… I'm not leaving them… not until all three of them are completely out of the woods."

"Okay, I'll see if we can get a cot… just… promise me you'll sleep." Antonio nodded. 5 minutes passed and Will reappeared with a cot and some pillows and an extra blanket. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Will… for everything."

"No problem… and Happy Birthday, brother… you got the, probably, most amazing birthday gift ever."

"Oh, I know I did." Antonio pulled off his shoes. "Thank you… for saving all of them."

"I wasn't going to lose them…" Will turned off the light. "We'll see you in the morning."

* * *

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* * *

Jes woke up a little disoriented. Her stomach was hurting and she was thirsty. She groaned as she pushed herself up. There was a faint beeping coming from outside her room and she could hear someone snoring. She looked over and saw Antonio sound asleep on the cot that had been brought into her room. It was then that she remembered that she was in the hospital. She wanted to go see Mateo and Jonathan. She felt as if they needed to nurse again, but she didn't want to wake Antonio. He looked like he was actually getting a restful sleep. She pushed the button on the side of her bed and a nurse popped in.

"Hi, Jes." She said softly. "I'm your night nurse, Liz."

"Hi, Liz." Jes whispered. "Um, I have this… this feeling…" She motioned to her breasts. "Like I have to nurse."

"That's perfectly normal… Hannah told me your breastfeeding, so let's get you in a chair and we'll take you."

"Don't… wake him, please… I'm pretty sure that neither him nor my brothers have had a decent sleep since this happened… I want him to sleep."

"Sure thing." Liz smiled. She quickly left the room and returned with a wheelchair. "How's your pain?"

"The incision hurts… but I'll feel better once I see the boys."

"Alright… let's go." Liz pushed her quietly out of the room and headed towards the NICU.

Jes was surprised to see parents with their babies in the other rooms. "Do visiting hours not apply here?"

"NICU is different… parents, sometimes aren't lucky to get to ever take their baby home. So, we let them stay with them, have as many memories as possible." Liz whispered.

"That's so sad… how do you do this…every day?" Jay asked

"I try not to think about the sadness." Liz answered. "Your little boys are so cute, by the way."

"Are they doing okay?"

"Their breathing is getting better and there haven't been any negative changes in their vitals… They're doing great." Liz squeezed her shoulder. "They're strong… they're fighters."

"That they are… and they have some very special guardian angels." Jes whispered.

Liz wheeled her between the two incubators. "Dr. Manning said that if they keep this up for a whole other week, they may get to come off CPAP."

"That would be amazing." Jes poked her hand into the incubator and stroked Jonathan's cheek. "I'd be able to hold them more that way, right?"

"Definitely. And once they hit 5 pounds and hold it, and their other tests are clear, they can go home."

"Antonio still has to get the house ready for twins… we… kinda only knew about one of them."

"A happy surprise?" Liz set up the chair for Jes to nurse.

"Very much, um… do you have an iPad… or something… I played music for them all the time… and I'd like to keep that going."

"Sure thing." Liz helped her into the chair. "Be right back."

Jes tried to get as comfortable as she could. Liz returned with an iPad and a stand to hold it.

Liz put her finger to her lips. "Don't tell your brother that I borrowed his iPad… but it was the only one I could find."

"Sweet." Jes giggled. "Your secret is safe with me. Um, can you open up a YouTube window."

"Sure." Liz opened up the YouTube app. "What are you looking for?"

"It's called 'Never Alone'." Jes said softly.

Liz got the window open and hit 'play'. She then went and got Jonathan from his incubator. Jes undid her gown so she could nurse them. Liz placed Jonathan on her and turned to leave. "When you're done, just push the call button. I'll come help you switch."

"Thanks." Jes whispered. She let Jonathan latch on to begin nursing. She listened to the song as it softly played. The words had always had a deep meaning for her, but it was that much deeper now. The song ended and Jes reached over and made it repeat. This time, she sang along.

* * *

 _"May the angels protect you_  
 _Trouble neglect you_  
 _And heaven accept you when it's time to go home_  
 _May you always have plenty_  
 _The glass never empty_  
 _Know in your belly_  
 _You're never alone_

 _May your tears come from laughing_  
 _You find friends worth having_  
 _As every year passes_  
 _They mean more than gold_  
 _May you win and stay humble_  
 _Smile more than grumble_  
 _And know when you stumble_  
 _You're never alone_

 _Never alone_  
 _Never alone_  
 _I'll be in every beat of your heart_  
 _When you face the unknown_  
 _Wherever you fly_  
 _This isn't goodbye_  
 _My love will follow you, stay with you_  
 _Baby, you're never alone_

 _I have to be honest_  
 _As much as I wanted_  
 _I'm not gonna promise that cold winds won't blow_  
 _So when hard times have found you_  
 _And your fears surround you_  
 _Wrap my love around you_  
 _You're never alone_

 _Never alone_  
 _Never alone_  
 _I'll be in every beat of your heart_  
 _When you face the unknown_  
 _Wherever you fly_  
 _This isn't goodbye_  
 _My love will follow you, stay with you_  
 _Baby, you're never alone_

 _My love will follow you, stay with you_  
 _Baby, you're never alone_

 _So when hard times have found you_  
 _And your fears surround you_  
 _Wrap my love around you_  
 _You're never alone"_

Soon, Jonathan stopped nursing and fussed a little. Jes kept singing to him and soon he settled down. "You never will be alone, little one. Between your family here, and your guardian angels… you're never going to be alone." She kissed his cheek. "Je t'aimes, mon petit."

"Hey, there you are." Antonio's voice came from the doorway. "Will, I found her… and your iPad."

"Shh… Jonathan's sleeping." Jes motioned to their sleeping son in her arms.

Will poked his head in. "At least she's not missing and thanks… uh, Jes… why did you need my iPad?"

"Music… I played music for them when I was pregnant… it calmed them."

"Fair enough." Will said. "Need to switch?"

"Yeah… and Jonathan needs a change, I think." Jes smirked.

"I think that's something Daddy can handle." Antonio said. He went to where Will signaled the diapers were.

Will laid Mateo in Jes' arms. "Here we go, Mateo… Mommy's here for you buddy."

"Thanks, Will… but you both should still be asleep… it's why I hit the call button."

"Antonio woke up and called me… you weren't in bed."

"I needed to nurse… and I missed them." Jes whispered as Mateo began to suckle.

"At least they're taking it and you're doing great." Will kissed her cheek. "Being a mom is probably the most natural thing for you."

"Yeah yeah." Jes laughed. "How's Jonathan?"

"All happy now that he's clean." Antonio placed him back in the incubator. "Will, can you hook him back up?"

"Yeah, I got it." Will went to check on Jonathan. "He's doing really good. Go back to sleep, Jonathan… you grow better that way."

"Can I nurse in peace, please?" Jes asked.

Will nodded. "Yeah… yeah… uh… buzz when you're ready."

Antonio sat on the stool next to Jes. "I heard you singing to them."

"I used to listen to that song a lot a while back… and… the words just mean so much more now… especially for them."

"It was beautiful." Antonio whispered. "You're beautiful."

"I look like a bruised peach."

"But, you're my peach." Antonio kissed her bare shoulder. "Want me to hit play again?"

Jes nodded and sang the same song to Mateo. Antonio just sat back and watched. He was starting to wish they would've gotten married sooner, but right now, that was the least of his worries. He just wanted Jes and his sons to come home and be healthy.

* * *

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* * *

A few days later, they got the news that Jonathan and Mateo were being taken off CPAP because they were able to breathe room air on their own. They were going to be monitored for a couple more days in the NICU before being placed in a step down unit of the NICU. Jes was ecstatic. This meant that the medication she'd been given to mature their lungs had worked, and despite being 10 weeks early, they were gaining weight at a healthy pace. Natalie and the main neonatologist had explained that they may be able to take the twins home by the end of June.

"Wow," Will said as he went into Jes' room. "If they only spend a month in here, that's amazing… most… spend at least the amount of time left in the pregnancy in here."

"They're fighters like their mom." Antonio grinned. "So, any news on when she can come home?"

"Uh, well… tomorrow." Will smiled. "As long as she takes it easy and no lifting, no cleaning, vacuuming, cooking… rest… until the incision is fully healed. Comprende?"

Jes nodded. "As long as I can come and see them every day… I'll do whatever you want me to."

"You can… and on that note, you guys all have visitors." Will grinned.

"Who?" Antonio asked.

"Dad! Mom!" Diego ran through the door.

"Careful!" Antonio and Will exclaimed.

"I wasn't going to jump on her." Diego said sadly.

"I know, buddy." Antonio said. "Just have to make sure."

"Come here, Diego." Jes patted the bed. "I could really use a gentle hug."

"We missed you." Diego said as he hugged her. "So much."

"I missed you too, buddy." Jes said, kissing his forehead. "Where's Eva?"

"Coming with Tia Gaby, Tia Victoria, Tio Javier and Abuela and Abuelo." Diego answered. "Is it true?"

"Is what true, Diego?" Jes asked.

"That the twins were a surprise… and they were born on Dad's birthday?"

"Yeah, it's true… turns out Jonathan was hiding behind Mateo all the time… he liked playing hide-and-seek." Jes laughed. "And, yeah… they were born on Dad's birthday… at I think it's 12:30 in the morning?"

"1 am, but close enough." Will laughed. "I hear the rest of them coming. I'll go get the boys, and you guys can all visit in here."

"They're okay to not be in the NICU?" Antonio asked.

"It's not going to be all day, but it's better than taking them in one at a time to see them." Will turned and left.

Eva came in and smiled the instant she saw that Jes was okay. "Mom!"

"Hi, sweetheart." Jes grinned. "Come give me a hug… I've missed you guys."

"Are you feeling better?" Eva asked.

"Yes, much better now that I've been able to see you guys."

"Are the babies okay?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah, Uncle Will went to get them… so everyone can meet them."

"Really?"

"Yes, Eva… really."

Eva squealed a little bit. "I can't wait."

Gaby, Javier, Victoria and Antonio's parents were finally in the room. They came baring balloons, flowers and teddy bears. Rounds of hugs and kisses were passed and Jes answered a few more times that she was doing fine. There was a knock at the door.

"I believe I come bringing the guests of honour." Will said.

Jes repositioned herself in her bed. "Thanks, Will."

"No problem. Uh, Antonio, you'll be able to help Jes out?"

"No problem, Will. I've got this."

Will laughed and headed back out of the room. Antonio's family flocked to the tiny basinets that Will had brought in. "Oh que lindo!" Was the exclamations.

"Antonio, son perfectos." His father patted him on the back. "Pequeños pero perfectos."

"Gracias, Papi." Antonio smiled. "Um, Eva… Diego… If we sit you guys down, would you want to hold your brothers?"

They didn't need to be asked twice. They sat in the chairs and waited. Jes just smiled as Antonio placed Mateo in Diego's arms then placed Jonathan in Eva's arms.

"Dad… they're so small." Eva whispered.

"Babies are supposed to be small." Diego answered.

"Not this small."

"Hey, you two." Gaby walked over. "Your little brothers are a little smaller than normal babies because they were born sooner than normal, but they're healthy and they'll grow fast."

"Cool." Diego said. "Look at all the hair… it's so curly."

"Mom says that's her fault." Antonio laughed.

Jes just shook her head. "Uncle Will said I can come home tomorrow."

"Really?" Eva was so happy. For the last couple weeks, they'd been staying with their grandparents and that was fun, but they really wanted to be home with both their parents. "What about them?"

"Well, they'll be here for a little while longer until they get big and strong… then we get to bring them home."

"How long?" Diego asked.

"Uncle Will says by the end of June."

"That's still a long time away." Diego looked at his little brother.

"Yeah, but when they come home, they'll be strong enough to not have to come back." Antonio added. "We'll be able to come and see them here."

That seemed to satisfy them.

"Dad, which one am I holding?" Eva asked. "They look the exact same."

"You have Jonathan and Diego is holding Mateo."

"How are we going to tell them apart when we bring them home?" Eva asked.

Constanza grinned. "I thought of a solution… as soon as Javi told us it was twins." She pulled out a gift bag and handed it to Jes. "For the first little while."

Jes pulled out some of the tissue paper to reveal multiple sets of onesies. Each one either had a tiny M or a tiny J on the chest. Then there were little jerseys that had a number 1 and a number 2 on the back. "Oh, Mami…" Jes wiped away the tears of joy. "They're perfect."

Constanza hugged her. "You will do fantastic as a mother… you are very, very strong."

The family stayed to visit until it was time for the boys' feeding. Antonio walked them out. Gaby led her parents and the kids out to the parking lot while Javi and Victoria stayed behind.

"Okay, you two, what's up?" Antonio leaned against a pillar outside of Med.

"Whatta ya mean?" Javi asked.

"You two have been acting weird all day. I love you both, but stop beating around the bush."

Victoria sighed. "He won't quit… not until we tell him."

"Tell me what?!" Antonio was getting angry.

Javier groaned. "Fuck, look… just know that we've both fought insanely hard against this."

"Can someone tell me what's going on? PLEASE?!"

"Can you at least sit down, 'Tonio?" Javier pointed to some benches in a secluded part of the parking lot.

Antonio tossed his hands up in the air. "Fine."

They walked over to what turned out to be a quiet, little garden. Antonio sat down on a bench and shook his head. "This is about Yates, isn't it?"

Victoria and Javier sat next to each other on the bench across from him. She nodded. "Sadly."

"Just tell me." Antonio braced himself for the worst possible news, that Yates was going free.

"First, Yates is defending himself in court." Victoria started with the easiest news.

"So that wasn't a rumour?" Antonio asked.

"No, it wasn't… to make matters worse… he's making Nadia out to be some party girl… or that she was back into turning tricks." Victoria took a deep breath. "Right now, it's looking like he could actually get away with this… My boss, Rafael Barba… he's doing his damndest, but Yates is using his charm and good looks to convince the jury that CPD and SVU were on a witch hunt to make him the guilty party… even though all the evidence in world says he did it."

"Okay, so why am I getting the feeling that's the bad news but there's even worse news?"

"Because it does get worse." Javier sighed. "Way, way worse."

"Fuck… don't… no… I don't… no…" Antonio knew exactly what Victoria was going to say.

"I'm so, so sorry, Antonio… Rafael says that the best way to guarantee he gets put away for good… is for Jes to testify."

"NO!" Antonio exploded. "NO FUCKING WAY IN HELL IS SHE TESTIFYING… NOT AFTER WHAT… NO, FORGET IT… MAKE IT WORK SOME OTHER WAY!" He began to hyperventilate. He put his head between his legs to try and calm himself. "No." He wept.

Javier didn't know what to do. He hadn't seen his big brother like this in years. He looked to Victoria. She nodded and went to Antonio's side. "Antonio… please… trust me when I say this… I don't want Jes to be put through this… not… not after everything she's been through. I love you and her… and the kids… the psychological effect of what he's done is torture enough… making her relive it… I don't want her to… Barba doesn't either, but if we can't convince the jury that Yate's is guilty of rape and murder beyond a reasonable doubt, he'll walk… he'll do it again… and again."

"Victoria… she can't take it… she lost it when Nadia died… this monster caused our sons to be born too soon… she almost died… more than once… I can't… we can't ask her to go through that again…" Antonio wept on her shoulder.

Victoria rubbed his back like she would for her own children. "Antonio... we have to at least talk to her."

"Why?" Antonio sniffled.

"Because… if she doesn't willingly testify… Barba is going to be forced to subpoena her…"

"OH FUCK!" Antonio punched the benched. His knuckles were throbbing and one was bleeding.

"We told you that we tried everything and Barba's not a heartless D.A." Javier said. "He's one of the best D.A.'s New York has had in years… he fights dirty when he has too… and sadly… he has a point… if the jury saw a survivor… heard her story… what he did to her, and the repercussions… it'll make them reconsider Nadia… that she wasn't a prostitute anymore."

Antonio wiped away the tears that were flowing from his eyes. "She's been through so much… Yates will find dirt on her… he'll drag her through the mud too."

"Barba won't let it get that far." Javier tried to reassure his brother.

Antonio cleared his throat. "So, if… and I mean, IF… she agrees and isn't forced to… will she testify from here… or are we going to have to go to New York."

"Barba wants her there… he says it'll throw Yates off his game. There haven't been other survivors… he's used to being in control… he won't be…" Victoria said.

"If Jes is there." Antonio cringed as he finished the thought. "Okay… um… let's go tell her… I can tell you right now, she ain't gonna like it."

The three of them headed back to Jes' room. The twins were back in the nursery, sleeping. Jes was channel surfing. "Hey, babe." She greeted Antonio. "Oh, hey… Javi, Victoria… I thought you'd headed home."

"Not yet." Victoria smiled. "Um, we have some things to talk to you about… and maybe we should get Will in here… with a sedative."

Jes gripped Antonio's hand so hard that he began losing sensation in his fingers. "Does it have anything to do with Nadia?" Her voice broke.

Victoria nodded. Javier went to get Will. He knew that Will wouldn't be any happier than Antonio had been, but they needed to get this over with. Will returned, armed with a syringe with a sedative.

"Will." Jes said.

"Yeah, Javi gave me the Cliff Notes version." Will growled. "He uh… yeah." Will signaled to Antonio to try his best to keep Jes calm.

Victoria slowly began to explain the situation to Jes. Jes' reacted the way every knew she would. She broke down. She cried. She didn't want to have to relive that nightmare.

"Please… I don't… I can't." Jes pleaded.

"Jes, baby…" Antonio leaned in. "If you don't… they'll force you to."

"You mean, no matter what… I don't have a choice?" Jes sniffled.

"Jes, do you want the sedative?" Will asked.

She shook her head. "No… NO. No more drugs… just… finish."

Victoria and Javier finished explaining the situation. Antonio asked them to let Jes, Will and him discuss the situation. They nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jes exclaimed. She turned to Will. "If I do this, will the twins be okay?"

"We'll save some of your milk… and if they need to, they'll be given formula… just until you come back." Will said.

"Am I okay to travel?" Jes asked.

"Under medical supervision." Will concluded.

Jes turned to Antonio. With tears in her eyes, she asked. "Will, would you come with us… as my medical supervision?"

Will blinked away some tears. "Yeah, I'll go… and I'll go as your brother too."

Jes turned back to Victoria. "Tell your boss, I'll do it."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay, so it was supposed to be a three-part sequence, but I guess it'll be four. I couldn't add the trial in with over 11, 000 words already. More to come ASAP… I know you guys are always wanting more, but these chapters are an art form for me… so they take time. Stay tuned for more… Let me know what you think! Lots of love, Nicole.**_

 _ **Credit goes to Lady Antebellum for their song: Never Alone... that song is helping me through a lot right now, and I just hope you take a chance to listen to the song. It's very inspirational.**_


	38. Fight Song

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* * *

Antonio was not happy. He didn't want Jes to testify but he also knew that if she didn't, Barba would subpoena her. They made arrangements for the twins and ensured that they'd be taken care of while Jes was away. They then went home to explain what was happening to Eva and Diego. Constanza and Emmanuel were going to take care of the kids. They didn't know how long this would take, but everyone hoped it wouldn't be too dragged out. Once everyone was in the know, Antonio packed some clothes for both of them while Will kept Jes calm. Victoria arranged for a private flight, on Voight's dime, for all of them to reach New York. They bid farewell to their families and headed to O'Hare for their flight. Will sedated Jes before boarding the flight as her anxiety began getting the best of her. Antonio was tempted to ask Will for a mild sedative himself, but he wanted to be there if Jes had a nightmare. So far, she'd been okay, but they were headed right to the bastard who'd almost killed her. That would be enough to trigger nightmares in anyone, but Jes was strong and she wasn't alone.

Two hours later, they were landing at JFK. They were greeted by Dominic Carisi and Amanda Rollins from SVU.

"Uh, where's Jay?" Will asked.

"With our boss." Carisi answered. "Uh, you're Will?"

"Yeah, Will Halstead… that's my sister, Jes." He pointed to Jes, who was sound asleep in Antonio's arms. "Is there a car nearby?"

"Yeah, right this way." Rollins led them to her SUV.

Antonio put Jes in the back seat, buckled her in, and slid in next to her from the other side. He pulled Jes into his arms and prayed she'd sleep until they reached Javier's place. They weren't staying anywhere like a hotel. Javier had arranged for their kids to spend time with Victoria's sister who had recently moved to the city. This way, Jes was safe at all time. Antonio prayed that they'd be able to see Jay soon. Jes needed her other brother at this point. He just held her and prayed the whole way.

They got there fast enough considering traffic in New York. Antonio had no choice but to wake Jes up at this point. "Babe, Jes… sweetheart, we're here… You need to wake up now."

"Mmm… no." Jes groaned. "No wanna get up."

Antonio snickered. "That may work for Diego, but sweetie, you're a mom and grown woman, come… rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."

Jes' eyes fluttered open. "You're not very nice, Prince Charming."

"I've been told worse things. Come on, I can't carry you all the way to Javi's apartment. Come on."

Jes forced herself awake. She had never been to New York before and she definitely didn't want her first visit to be because of a trial, but that was out of everyone's control now. With Antonio and Will's help, she made her way to the elevator. While she had recovered for the most part, she was still weak from being bedridden all this time. Her cuts and bruises were healing well but her psyche was a whole other story. "Is Jay coming?"

Rollins nodded. "Yeah, he is. Hi, Jes… I'm Amanda, this is Dominic… we're going to be keeping an eye on you at night and Detectives Amaro and Tutuola will be keeping an eye on you guys during the day."

"I thought he was locked up?" Jes asked.

"Oh, he is." Carisi answered. "We just want to make sure that everything you need is taken care of. We kinda are forcing you into this."

Jes smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Will. "Can you check on the boys? Please?"

"I'll call Natalie as soon as we're upstairs and you've settled in. I may even get her to Skype so you can see them. Okay?" He kissed her forehead. "You're so strong. You've got this, and we're here for you."

Antonio's phone began to ring. He answered it using his free hand. "Dawson."

"Antonio!" Jay's voice was almost booming over the line. "Are you guys here? Is she okay?"

"We're here and she's as okay as she can be right now. She wants her brother… so find a way to get to Javi's…"

"I'm on my way." Jay ended the call as quickly as he had dialed it.

Antonio shook his head. "Jay's coming. He's eager to see you."

"OH, now he's eager." Jes grumbled. "He couldn't…"

"Jes, come on." Will said. "Don't be so hard on him. You know he didn't have much choice."

Jes shook her head. "He chose her… over me." The emphasis was put on _her_.

Antonio hugged her tightly as the elevator arrived at Javier and Victoria's floor. "Jes, just relax. Don't kill him just yet. He may have been ordered to stay here and watch over Erin."

"That's actually what happened." Amanda jumped in. "Voight was interrogating Yates and didn't want her alone."

"Well, then Voight owes me a lot." Jes was pouting. "I didn't want to spend my first time in NYC testifying against a serial rapist and murderer."

"I will make this up to you, babe. I promise. Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, Empire State Building, Lady Liberty… everything and anything you want."

"That's gonna be an expensive trip, Bro." Javier said as he unlocked the door to their apartment. "Welcome to our home."

Jes stepped in and was in awe. Considering it was an apartment in New York, it was very spacious and bright. "Wow." She smiled. "This is very nice. I think I could recover well here. Can I just you know, testify from the couch on closed circuit TV?"

"You can ask Barba, but knowing him, he'll say no." Victoria said heavily. "Whatever you need, Jes… it's here for you and if we don't have it, we'll get it."

"Thank you, Victoria. It means a lot." Jes hugged her sister-in-law. "Now, Will… I want to see my babies please."

"Yes, ma'am. Right away." Will called Natalie and arranged a Skype call for 15 minutes from now after the boys had been bathed.

Antonio got Jes settled in the guest room and helped her shower. Once she was changed and feeling refreshed, Will set up the Skype call. Jes felt much better seeing Jonathan and Mateo. They were growing and healthy. That's all that mattered. Jes thanked Natalie for arranging the call. There was a knock at the door as they put away the iPad.

"Where is she, Carisi?" Jay's voice boomed.

"She was just Skyping with a doc about the twins. Just chill, Halstead."

Will went out into the family room. "Jay, you gotta chill, or I'm gonna let Antonio lay you out."

Jay took a deep breath. "Can I please see our sister?"

"Jes, you wanna see Jay in there or out here?" Will called out.

"We'll be right out."

"Jay, want a beer?" Javier asked from the fridge.

"Sure, why not." Jay said as he sat on the sofa. "I could use a good stiff drink right about now."

Javier handed him and Will each a beer and sat with Victoria on one of the other sofas. Antonio and Jes came out of the bedroom. Jay wanted to rush to his sister's side, but he knew that she was pissed at him. Antonio helped Jes sit on the overstuffed chair and then sat on the arm of it. He took the beer that Victoria handed him.

"Hi, Jay." Jes whispered.

"Jes." Jay didn't know where to begin. "I'm so sorry, sis. I am."

"I know… I know you didn't have a choice, but it still hurt… a lot."

"I know." Jay sighed. "I know and I know that there's nothing I can do to make it right."

"Just promise me that this son of a bitch is going straight to hell." Jes asked. "Please… if they don't lock his ass up and lose the fucking key, you… or Voight… or someone… you take that son of a bitch out!" Jes buried her face in Antonio's chest.

Antonio rubbed her back. "Shh… It's gonna be okay, Jes… I'll deal with him if I have to."

Jay finished his beer. "He's going away… That… that's why we're here… Why you're here."

"If this guy is the best prosecutor in New York, why the fuck does he need me!?" Jes exclaimed. "I don't want to relive this over and over again."

Antonio nodded. "I have to agree… why do we have to put her through this again?"

"Barba wouldn't tell me." Jay groaned. "I pleaded that he leave her out of it. Hell, so did Voight."

"Well, if your boss was trying, it must be damn important that she does testify." Javier collected the empty beer bottles. "Jes, do you want some chamomile tea? Help you sleep?"

Jes nodded. "Do you have any mint too? I'm a little nauseated from all this."

Victoria got up and said. "I'll make the tea. Don't you worry."

Jes just clung to Antonio like an opossum. She didn't dare let go because she was terrified of losing her self-control and emotions. Antonio was the only person that was able to centre her and keep her calm. Victoria returned with the tea which Jes took gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem. Anything for you… as for Barba, I'll talk to him in the morning and make it very clear that you aren't alone when he talks to you… and we'll figure something out for court… we don't need you having a panic attack."

"Thank you, Victoria. Really. It means a lot." Jes smiled, sipping her tea.

"How are the twins?" Jay asked.

"Stronger." Antonio answered. "Growing, getting healthy."

"Good." Jay sighed. "I can't wait to see them and hold them."

"Good luck trying to do that!" Javier laughed. "The women hog them. Even if we are their godfathers."

"Meh, I'll flirt with a nurse and get to hold them that way." Jay grinned. "Will, any clue on when they can go home?"

"That's up to Natalie… she's their doctor… but…"

"She told us tonight that in a week, maybe two… providing they keep getting stronger like they have been." Jes smiled, the first time in a while. "The kids can't wait… they have everything ready for them already… they… they went with Gaby and a couple of the guys from 51 and got another crib and stuff like that for us…"

"Well, I still have to give you my gift when we get back, so not done yet." Jay smiled.

Jes yawned. "What time am I meeting the ADA?"

"Uh, 9." Jay said. "I'll come back and pick you up."

"We can drive them in." Dominic said from the corner.

"We'll drive them in." Javier put his foot down. "You can follow, but I'm keeping an eye on family. Jay, if you want, you can stay here tonight."

"I appreciate it." Jay said. He went and hugged Jes. "I love you, and we are going to get through this."

"I know… just takes a lot longer than I'd like." Jes sighed. "I'm beat."

"Okay, let's get you to bed." Antonio got up and helped her to her feet. "We'll see you all in the morning."

The others watched as Antonio lifted Jes into his arms and carried her bridal style to the guest room. They waited until they heard the door close.

Jay then turned to Will. "How pissed is she?"

"Pissed at who or over what?" Will countered.

"Me."

"On a scale of 1-10, I'm gonna say 20… over being forced to relive this 1000."

Jay sighed. "I want to kill Yates."

"So does Antonio… Voight, Erin…" Rollins said. "He'll get what's coming to him. Don't you worry. Barba doesn't quit… not with a case like this, not ever."

Jay nodded. "Okay, we should all hit the hay. Tomorrow is gonna be a long ass day, and it's gonna be hardest on her… I'm not gonna let her down again."

* * *

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* * *

Jay was up before his alarm even rang. Granted, he had barely been able to sleep. He ran a cold shower to jolt himself awake. He got dressed in the change of clothes that Will had lent him and headed to the kitchen. Victoria and Javier were already awake and making breakfast for an army. "Did you take a note from Jes' textbook?" He asked.

"No, it's a Dominican thing." Javier said. "Though, it might be a French thing too… it seems that women of either culture think that food solve all problems…Heck, they may believe it's the solution to all global conflicts." He had to duck a potholder that Victoria aimed at his head. "What? It's true."

"Hey, if feeding people will bring world peace, I'm all for it." Jay reached for a piece of toast.

Victoria smacked his fingers with her hand. "Not until everyone's here."

"Seriously?"

"It's called a family breakfast for a reason." Javier said. "I'm not about to argue with my wife. Once you settle down, you'll understand that."

"Him settle down? Haha!" Will laughed as he walked into the family room. He was pulling his t-shirt over his head. "I didn't realize you did stand-up comedy, Javier."

Jay glared at his older brother. "Not funny."

"Oh, it is." Will grinned. "I'm cool with waiting for Jes and Antonio."

"We're up." Jes' voice came from behind them. "I just move a little slower from uh, the surgery and all that." She was leaning on Antonio as they got into the family room.

Jay rushed to her side and helped get her to the dining room table. Jay was so thankful that Javier and Victoria had an open concept in their home. No hallways or multiple doorways to complicate things for Jes. They got her seated and then Antonio went to serve her a plate.

"Bro, we'll pass the dishes. Grab a coffee and we'll eat breakfast family style." Victoria signalled to the seat next to Jes. "And that's not really a request."

Antonio shut his mouth and sat next to Jes. The chatted as the plates of pancakes, sausages, eggs, bacon and toast were passed around. Will showed Jes the pictures of the twins that Natalie had texted him before she'd gone home. Jes sighed in relief to know the babies were okay. She felt like a horrible mother leaving them in Chicago like this, but she hadn't been given much choice in this matter. After breakfast, Jay and Will helped Javier and Victoria clean up while Antonio and Jes called home to check up on Eva and Diego.

"Mom! Dad!" Their excited voices came over the speaker.

"Hey, guys." Jes smiled. "How are you guys doing?"

"We miss you." Diego answered.

"We miss you too, hijo." Antonio said. "You behaving?"

"Yes, Daddy." Eva said. "Abuela took us to see Jonathan and Mateo yesterday… they're so small."

"When can we hold them?" Diego asked.

"As soon as the doctors say you can." Antonio answered. "Soon. They're getting stronger each and every day."

"They can't wait to meet you guys." Jes added. "Dr. Manning told me that once we're back from New York, they should be almost ready and healthy enough to come home."

"Yay!" The kids exclaimed.

Jes laughed. "Soon, our family will be back together."

"And everyone's going to be healthy and safe, right?" Diego was worried. They could hear it resonating in his voice.

"Yes, Diego. We're, uh… we're going to take off as soon as the twins are cleared for travel and we'll stay at the farm until a little while after the wedding." Antonio promised.

"Thank God." Eva sighed in relief.

"We love you guys." Jes said. "We've gotta go, but we'll call as soon as we can. Take care of each other."

"Love you too!"

They ended the call and made their way back to the family room. When they got there, they saw that Rollins and Carisi had been replaced by Fin and Amaro. They were waiting to take Jes and Antonio to the District.

"If it's alright with you, Detectives, I'll drive them in." Javier stepped forward, clipping his shield to his belt.

The two SVU detectives looked to each other. Fin nodded. "Sure thing, Lieutenant. If it's all the same… we'll follow you in."

"Fine by us." Antonio said. He grabbed Jes' jacket and helped her put it on before grabbing his own leather jacket. "Let's just get this over with." He was still furious that she had to go through this. He knew that they should've had enough with Nadia, but now they wanted to use Jes. While he knew that her testimony and the evidence of her injuries would be the final nail in Yates' coffin, he hated having to see Jes like this.

Jes was shaking. She was terrified. She knew that there was a lot that could come out in open court when she testified. She knew it was likely that her past was going to resurface and she was going to have to relive those attacks too. She slowly made her way to Javier's SUV and leaned into Antonio the whole way.

* * *

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* * *

Fin and Amaro led Antonio, Jay, Will, Javier and Victoria into SVU's squad room. Hank and Erin were waiting for them. Antonio could see Olivia was in her office with a man in a 3-piece suit. He suspected that he was Rafael Barba. Everyone that Antonio had spoken to about the man swore to high heaven that Rafael Barba was the best prosecutor in Manhattan. _'He damn well better be.'_ Antonio thought to himself. _'Jes' testimony better put Yates away for a few hundred lifetimes or else this Barba and I are going to be having issues.'_

Hank walked up to the group. "Antonio, Jes… thank you for coming."

"I wasn't left much choice, Hank." Jes said bluntly. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You have every right to be pissed off." Hank said softly. "You have to know, we fought against this. We didn't… we didn't want you to have to relive this over and over… but we need to guarantee he won't walk."

"Just shoot the son of a bitch." Jes whispered. "He can't outrun a bullet."

"Oh, the idea's crossed my mind." Hank whispered back. "We're all here for you… he can't hurt you anymore."

"He almost killed me and my unborn sons… I had twins… which was a big enough surprise, but I had them 10 weeks premature… they almost died… Fuck, I almost died!" Jes exclaimed, drawing attention from the other officers and detectives in the bullpen.

"I know, Jeslyn… we all know…" Hank sighed. "How are the twins?"

"They're getting stronger each day." Antonio answered. "Their names are Jonathan and Mateo. We just want to get back to Chicago to be with them and Eva and Diego."

"We'll get you guys back ASAP. I promise." Hank said.

Olivia and Barba came into the bullpen. "Everyone's here." Olivia said.

"Yeah." Hank took a step back. "Rafael Barba… this is Jeslyn Halstead, her fiancé, Antonio Dawson, and her other brother, Will Halstead… as well as Lieutenant."

Barba put his hand up. "I know Lieutenant Javier Dawson and Victoria works in my office. Thank you, Sargeant." Antonio found that Barba's tone brutish and rough. Barba turned to Jes. "I'm very sorry to have to put you through this but we need everything under the sun to nail this one."

"Just… let's get this over with." Jes' tone was filled with anger and annoyance.

"Follow us." Olivia took a few steps towards the interview room. Jes followed with Antonio, Will and Jay in tow. "Just Jes."

"No!" The three men shouted in unison. "No way."

Antonio stepped forward. "You want to talk to her… put her through this hell… we go with her. She was brutalized by that bastard… then the stress of the news of Nadia's death caused her to go into premature labour… she almost bled out during the c-section… the boys were 10 weeks premature… 10 WEEKS!"

"Okay… Okay, Antonio… you can come… but her brothers stay."

Will and Jay just about jumped her. Will calmed his breathing a little. "I'm not just here as her brother… I'm here in a medical sense. I'm here as her physician."

Barba walked up to Will. "Aren't there laws preventing physicians from treating family?"

"Those laws got tossed out that night because I was the only qualified surgeon available when she came in… It was me… or let her die… not much of a choice was needed there, Counsellor." Will stared at him.

"I wasn't there when I should've been. Jes needs support, not to be thrown under the bus by you guys." Jay growled.

Olivia turned to Hank, her eyes pleading to him to get them under control. Hank shook his head. "You guys wanted to put her through this, deal with the compromises that come with it. He's marrying her and the other two are her brothers… you don't fuck with family… especially this family."

Javier stepped forward. "Sergeant, just go with it… this is bad enough."

"Lieutenant, need I remind you that this is a conflict of interest for you too?" Barba snapped. "Victoria, you recused yourself… rein him in a little."

"All due respect, sir… they've been through enough… just go with it… she'll give her testimony… just let them be there for her…"

Barba sighed. "Whatever… let's just get going… we've got 48 hours before we're due back in court and I don't need Yates or his 'counsel' messing with this." He stomped off towards the interview room.

"We're all taking this personally." Olivia tried to calm everyone down.

"The fact that Yates is defending himself… is a damn good reason for all of us to be in there with her." Will said. "I don't care that you guys considered me a suspect, but Jes… she's here because she feels she owes Nadia… because she doesn't want this son of a bitch to see another day as a free man."

"Understood." Olivia showed them into the interview room.

Barba was seated, pulling papers and files from his briefcase. He pulled out a pen and notepad. "Let's begin."

Jes sat on the chair that Olivia pointed to. It was the comfiest chair in the room. Antonio sat on her left, and held her hand, while Jay sat on her right. Will stood behind her. Olivia took her seat next to Barba.

Barba looked up and for the first time, he spoke softly. "Okay, can you tell me about yourself, first… it helps to show who you are to the jury."

Jes nodded. "I know the drill." Barba raised an eyebrow, so Jes continued. "I was born in Edmonton, Alberta. I was an only child to a former military serviceman and a former business woman. My dad began farming after his last tour of duty… my mother, slept around town and ruined quite a few marriages, while he had been out of the country. When he came home, she couldn't do that anymore… then she was just miserable. The economy tanked for farmers, so my dad re-enlisted. We were moved to Ottawa and my dad re-deployed. My mom decided to file for divorce, find a sugar daddy and moved me to Chicago."

"How old were you?"

"14. That's when I met Jay… he saved me from the captain of the cheer team. We became best friends… my mom died in a car crash New Year's Eve with her new husband… my dad was still deployed and none of my other relatives wanted me or could take me in… so Jay's mother took me in and I got to stay there going to school. My dad was killed overseas in action… then Jay's mother legally adopted me. I graduated high school in Morinville, Alberta because I couldn't put up with the bullying here in Chicago."

"And why were you bullied?" Barba continued to right notes.

"Because I accused my Homecoming date of rape… Jay came home and caught him. He was a popular kid, and well, the school didn't appreciate my brother throwing him across a room before the cops showed up."

"I see." Barba looked up. "What happened after that?"

"I went to university, got my teaching degree. I taught out there while working on my Master's in Education online. I realized Education wasn't my true calling and came back to Chicago with a new plan."

"What was the new plan?"

"I wanted to open a Youth Centre to get kids off the streets and out of the gangs. I used my inheritances from my mother, step-father and father to help fund it."

"Have you gotten it off the ground?"

"Yes." Jes was a little irritable. He should know this. Jay would've told him or Hank. "It's called Power 2 Kids… or, P2K for short. I opened it with my best friend, Jacquie Lennox… well, Atwater now. It's been a huge success. Crime rates in the districts are down. Less nuisance fires and fewer kids are running drugs for the gangs."

"I see." Barba looked up from his notepad. "How did you meet Nadia Decotis?"

"I went to the District one day after I moved back to go over possible apartments with Jay. He had to go out on a call, and he asked me to speak to her."

"Why would he do that?" Barba asked.

Jes sighed. "Because it was her first day. He told me that it would be good for her to have someone to talk to."

"What did you talk about?"

"She told me about her past. How she had been a prostitute and hooked on drugs. She told me that Detective Erin Lindsay, in the Intelligence Unit of CPD, had rescued her, gotten her into rehab and gotten her the job as a receptionist for Intelligence." Jes took a breath. "I told her that we had a lot in common and that second chances were what saved both of us."

"Can you go into detail about what you mean by 'had a lot in common'?"

Jes looked to Antonio. He nodded. "It's better that it come out now and not as a surprise."

Jes reached for a glass of water. She took a sip and continued. "I was an addict… I used Oxy and Percocet in University."

Olivia couldn't hide her surprise. Barba's head jolted up. "I beg your pardon?"

"I was raped in University… by my boyfriend at the time and his friend… I got pregnant… I was going to give the baby up for adoption. When I was 6 months along, I got into a car crash in the Rockies with Jacquie and her little sister. One of my rapists had cut the break lines. Her sister was killed on impact and I almost died. I lost the baby and I got told I would never be able to have children of my own… so I began to abuse the pain killers. Jacquie… she did for me what Erin did for Nadia. She got me clean on her own… I quit cold turkey because she threatened to tell Jay. He never knew about the rape or the baby… I had wanted that kept quiet because I didn't want to relive it."

"When did your brother find out about this incident?"

"Last year… I had been kidnapped and beaten and raped… they were going over my injuries and Antonio told Jay."

"How did Detective Dawson come to know of this?"

"When I came back to Chicago, my brother, Jay, had a target on his back from the brother of a man he had killed in a clean shoot while on the job. Detective Dawson… he took me in to protect me. He woke me up from a nightmare and that's when I told him everything. He only told Jay because Jay needed to understand what I had gone through. After that, I found out I was pregnant."

"Is the father Detective Dawson?"

Jes glared at him. "Yes." Jes hissed. "He and I became involved after my birthday party… we got engaged soon after we found out about the baby. We went back to my family farm for us to recover… we came back in early March. We're getting married in Alberta on September 4."

"Had you gotten to know Miss Decotis in the time you'd been back in Chicago?"

"Yes. Nadia was a regular volunteer at P2K. She told the older teens her story and how she overcame it. She was an inspiration to them. Everyone loved her."

"Did you interact with her outside of work?"

"Yes, she would come over some nights for supper, or watch our children if Antonio and I had to go out. She was very reliable."

"Were you ever worried that she may have relapsed?"

Jes shook her head. "No. Nadia wanted nothing to do with that life anymore. She actually caught some of the teens at P2K trying to deal drugs and reported them to me immediately. She wanted to be a police officer. I wrote a letter of reference for her to the Police Academy. She was going to do great things in life."

"Can you tell us about the night of your attack and when Miss Decotis went missing?" Barba was finally getting to the tough part.

"I went to the District earlier that afternoon to meet with Nadia about the surprise birthday party that we were planning for Detective Erin Lindsay."

"I see. Did you discuss those plans openly? Could anyone in the district have heard you?"

"No, sir. We went into the kitchen area and had the door closed. We discussed how I'd pick up the things that were at the District now and she would meet me at P2K later that night with the cake and other decorations to finish the preparations." Jes answered. "We were waiting for Jay and Antonio to give us the things they had been hiding in their desks for Erin."

"And what things were those?"

Jes sighed. "Erin's birthday card and gifts. They were the only ones that kept a secret well enough to not have Erin be suspicious. Erin… doesn't like surprise parties."

"I see. Where were you waiting for Detectives Halstead and Dawson?"

"Close to Nadia's desk. It was right near the filing cabinets that were next to the exits of the interrogation rooms."

"Is that when you first saw the defendant, Dr. Gregory Yates?"

"Yes. He was being escorted from an interrogation room by Detective Lindsay."

"Did you know why he was there?"

"No. I don't discuss police investigations with my brother or fiancé unless I have been directly involved in the case."

"Did he say anything to you or did either of you speak to him?"

"He said 'Hello'. We didn't speak to him. I personally had a chill go up my spine."

"What happened next?"

"He left the bullpen and Nadia led me back into the kitchen. She told me that he was a suspect in their case. Jay and Antonio saw us and pulled us into the kitchen and demanded to know what I was doing there. I was on early Mat Leave. I was 7 months and a few days pregnant at the time."

"What did they tell you?"

"That they didn't want us near him. That both of us were his ideal victim type. Nadia turned white at that and asked if he was the one. I was still clueless as to what anyone was talking about."

"Did they clarify for you?"

"They told me he was now their main suspect in a streak of rape/murders that had been happening where the victims were burned after the fact. I knew a little about this case as my other brother, Doctor Will Halstead had been questioned in connection to it as he knew one of the New York victims."

"How did that make you feel?"

"I thought it was a lie. My brother may have made some poor choices in life like partying, but he wasn't a murderer. He worked as a physician with Doctors Without Borders and other organizations across the world helping victims of famine and war."

"Had your brother been cleared?" Barba asked next.

Jes nodded. "Yes. Antonio and Jay then explained how I fell into the victim type. From there they were worried that I could be a potential victim. They didn't want me to be alone, so they asked if Xander was going to be at P2K."

"And Xander is?"

"My replacement at P2K. He was going to keep an eye on me while I got some things ready there."

Barba stopped writing. "Was the party meant to be at P2K?"

"Yes. After hours, we rent out some of the rooms for parties or meetings. It helps keep the cost of running a youth centre down."

"Was Xander there?"

"Yes. He was finalizing an order that needed to go out for our culinary program. I stayed in the office there and worked on some plans for when the baby came."

"Okay, so fast forward… what happened that evening?"

Jes squeezed Antonio's hand. "I went out to wait for Nadia. She had texted me saying that she was on her way. I saw something out of the corner of my eye and suddenly, the world went black. I woke up after and I was back in the office. Xander was unconscious in the corner by the door… and he was there."

"Who was? You'll have to be very clear in court."

"Dr. Yates. The defendant. He told me how I was precious… that I was perfect. I begged him to spare my life… for the sake of my baby… he told me that babies didn't stop him. He…" Jes took a deep breath. "He was going to take off my clothes, but he got interrupted. Nadia came in. She told him that the CPD was looking for him. She told him to leave and that she wouldn't tell anyone he had been there. I couldn't move. I was in pain from the blow to the head. He went to her and said she was naïve. Then he grabbed her, put her on the couch in my office and tied her hands and feet. He told her that he was going to make her watch. She begged him to leave me alone, that I was pregnant."

"Did that deter him?"

"No. It seemed to make him happy." Jes took more water. "He took a knife from his pocket and cut my clothes off. Nadia was sobbing. She begged him again to leave me alone… then she offered herself to him… in exchange for me. That she'd do whatever he wanted her to. That got his attention… he had cut off the rest of my clothes then whispered to me that he wasn't done with me yet. He got off me and went to Nadia. He taped her mouth shut and then knocked her out. He carried her out of my office and a few minutes later came back."

"Did he say anything?"

"That I was beautiful… and that he was going to have fun with me. He raped me… he grabbed a bottle and shoved it in me, in my… my rectum… I passed out from the pain. I was just done. Next thing I know; I was waking up in the hospital."

"What happened after you woke up?"

"Antonio told me I'd been unconscious for 4 days. I asked about Nadia, but no one knew anything. Will came in and told me I had died a couple times while they worked to stabilize me. I had been horribly beaten, he had dislocated my shoulder. I suffered a couple cracked ribs, though they weren't sure if it was from the beating or from the CPR… I had a major concussion and intracranial swelling."

"What about the baby?"

"Baby was okay at that time. They were keeping me in the hospital to prevent premature labour."

"You still went into premature labour, correct?"

Jes nodded. "I did. After Javier and Victoria came to tell us that they'd found Nadia's body. They did an ultrasound as soon as it started and that's when they discovered that I was actually carrying identical twins… they couldn't stop the labour. I was prepped for a crash C-section… my sons were born 10 weeks early… My blood pressure tanked and I coded on the table. I was bleeding out."

"Obviously, they were able to save you. How are you and the twins doing now?"

Jes smiled. "I'm doing better. The bruises are almost gone and my stitches have been removed. I have to do physical therapy for the shoulder and regain my strength since I'd lost so much blood and spent so much time in a hospital bed."

"Okay. I have everything I need. Most of the questions I've just asked you will be asked in court. Yates is representing himself and he does have the right to cross-examine you. It could get ugly. He could bring up your past… even accuse you of having given Nadia drugs… you need to be prepared for that."

"I just want him to pay for what he did to me, to Nadia and that he almost cost us our sons' lives." Jes answered.

"Okay, well… we go to court in 48 hours… you'll testify… and your brothers and fiancé may also be called."

"We're ready." Antonio answered. "Just guarantee that he can't hurt her anymore."

"We won't let anything happen to her." Olivia promised. "Or anyone else. Yates is going to pay for his crimes."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **2 days later… Superior Court…**_

"Mr. Barba, please call your first witness." Judge Barth said.

"Prosecution calls Miss Jeslyn Halstead to the stand."

Antonio helped Jes to the stand and went back to his seat next to Jay and Will. He fought back the anger he felt towards Yates and watched as Jes was sworn in.

"Miss Halstead, can you tell me how you met Miss Decotis?" Barba was starting his questioning lightly.

"At my brother's work. He's a detective with the Intelligence unit in Chicago. I had recently moved back to Chicago and I was meeting him for lunch to find an apartment." Jes answered. "After we had eaten, Jay and the rest of Intelligence were called out on a case and Jay asked me to talk to her because it was her very first day with the CPD as Intelligence's receptionist."

"So, you were asked to help make her feel at ease in her new work place?"

"Yes. We talked about ourselves. She was a very kind and sweet girl. She told me how Detective Erin Lindsay had saved her life. How she had gotten out of prostitution and off the drugs. I then told her that I understood what it was like to have friends like that and that she should be proud of her accomplishments. We bonded."

"You would consider her a friend?"

"Yes."

"Did you talk to her outside of when you would go by the district?"

"Yes. She was a volunteer at the youth centre my friend and I started, Power 2 Kids."

"What is Power 2 Kids?" Barba asked.

"A youth centre in the 21st District of Chicago. We work together with the CPD, CFD and schools to get kids of all ages off the streets and out of the gangs."

"Have you been successful?"

"Yes, crime involving Youth in the District has gone down by about 20% according to the last reports I read… the CFD has reported that nuisance fires have also gone down. We've also seen a drop in kids getting pulled into the gangs… People who've overcome those lifestyles have come in as guest speakers and mentors to show that you can turn your life around."

"Was Miss Decotis a guest speaker and mentor?"

Jes nodded. "Yes. She spoke often to the young women who came to show them that there was a way out of hooking and that not being afraid to ask for help, they can get off the drugs. She had caught some youths trying to deal in the back of the centre and reported them to me immediately. She wanted nothing to do with that life anymore."

"She told you this?"

"She did, on multiple occasions… she also asked me to provide her a character reference to get into the CPD's Academy. I provided a glowing review. She would've been an amazing police officer."

"So, in your opinion, Miss Decotis wouldn't have come to New York to start turning tricks again or restart a drug habit?"

"In my opinion, no. She wouldn't have thrown away everything she'd worked so hard for."

"Can you tell us about the night that Miss Decotis disappeared and you were attacked?"

"Yes." Jes explained exactly what had happened as she had two days before to Barba and Benson. She let tears fall as she told the jury about the rape and beating that Yates had given her and how she'd almost died after being sent into labour 10 weeks before she was due. "I coded on the operating table after my sons were born. I was hemorrhaging. I was lucky that they stopped the bleeding. I am in physical therapy for my shoulder and am still weak from the extreme blood loss and extended time I spent lying in a hospital bed."

"Thank you, Miss Halstead." Barba smiled to her and returned to his seat. "Your witness."

The Chicago team cringed as Yates walked towards the witness stand. "Miss Halstead." He started. "So nice to see you again."

"Your Honour?" Barba stood up. "Pestering the witness is not a line of questioning."

Judge Barth could see Jes was uncomfortable. "Dr. Yates, I recommend you begin your line of questioning and keep a distance from the witness… I will not have a medical emergency in my courtroom today."

Yates froze. "Of course. Miss Halstead… you said that you and Miss Decotis had things in common, what were those things?"

Jes had been warned about this and she was ready. "She and I had both overcome a difficult addiction with the help of a good friend."

"You also had a drug addiction?" Yates acted surprised.

"Yes. I became addicted to Oxy and Percocet after I was in a car crash that killed my best friend's little sister as well as the child I was carrying by rape… I was 6 months pregnant at the time of the crash and I had been planning on giving the baby up for adoption… after the accident, I figured I had no value so, I abused the pain killers I had been prescribed. I quit cold turkey when my best friend, and roommate, told me that if I didn't quit, she'd tell my brother."

"And you haven't thought about it or acted on any urges?"

"No. I've been clean for almost a decade. I didn't even want pain medication in the hospital because I don't want to relapse."

"Miss Decotis felt you were a kindred spirit?"

"Objection!" Barba stood up. "We've already been over this."

"Dr. Yates, move along." The judge said sternly.

"The injuries that you sustained and claim that I inflicted… will there be any lasting effects?"

"I'm not a doctor. I've been told I'll recover."

"Can you be certain it was me that attacked you?"

"Yes. I remember your voice and your eyes."

"If you suffered a severe blow to the head as you claim, is it possible your brain mixed up who actually attacked you?"

"No." Jes said firmly. "It was you."

"No further questions." Yates went back to his table.

Judge Barth looked down to Jes. "Thank you, Miss Halstead."

Jes got down from the stand and with the bailiff's help went to sit next to Antonio. She wasn't going to cry. She refused to show any sign of weakness.

"Any other witnesses, Mr. Barba?"

"Yes. I'd like to call Dr. Will Halstead to the stand."

Will got up, kissed Jes' cheek and headed to the stand. After swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, he took his seat.

"Dr. Halstead… thank you for coming back to Manhattan." Barba straightened his tie. "We've heard in previous testimony that you were considered a suspect in these cases due to the fact the you knew one of the New York victims and worked with one of the Chicago victims."

"That's correct."

"But you were cleared?"

"Yes… my brother took my alibi's information but Intelligence had already cleared me on their own without Jay's help."

"Did you have any information concerning any of these cases?"

"I did. In the New York case, involving Debra McCulloch… I had gone to a party with some of my med school classmates. She was also at that party… and so was Dr. Yates. He was one of my professors at Columbia."

"So you know Dr. Yates, the defendant?"

"Yes, sir. The night of that party, he cornered me. He would talk about who had the best ass or who he'd have sex with first. It made me very uncomfortable."

"Objection!"

"Overruled, Dr. Yates." The judge glared. "He can testify to something he experienced. Continue, Doctor."

"I worked in the same hospital as the first Chicago victim but I didn't know her personally."

"Did you tell this to either the SVU detectives who were in Chicago or the Intelligence department?"

"I did. I spoke with Sergeants Voight and Benson concerning this."

"Okay. Now, I also wanted to speak to you about your medical treatments of the previous witness, Jeslyn Halstead. My understanding from her medical files which were brought here from Chicago Med is that you were her doctor when she was brought into the Emergency Department, the night of her attack?"

"That's correct." Will answered.

"Is it normal to treat family?"

"No. It isn't. It's actually against our code of ethics."

"Then why did you treat your sister?"

"At the time she was brought in, she was coding again. There were no trauma surgeons available and it was the changeover of staff in the ED. If I hadn't treated her, she would've bled out and she and the babies would have died."

"Did you know she was having twins?"

"Not until she went into labour."

"Can you describe Miss Halstead injuries for the jury?"

Will took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes." He explained the concussion, bruises, dislocated shoulder as well as the rape. "She was brutalized."

"Was there any physical evidence?"

"We collected what we could and handed it off to CPD for processing."

"Thank you, Dr. Halstead."

Yates almost jumped out of his seat. "Dr. Halstead… do you like me?"

"Your Honour?" Barba pleaded.

"Dr. Yates, enough. Questions concerning his treatment of Miss Halstead or knowledge of this case."

"Then I have no questions." Yates returned to his seat.

Judge Barth nodded to Will, who went back to his seat.

"I have one last witness, Your Honour." Barba said, pulling a file from his briefcase. "We call Manhattan's medical examiner, Dr. Melinda Warner, back to the stand."

Yates' co-counsel stood up. "We've already heard from this witness."

Barba countered. "Dr. Yates insisted that Nadia Decotis had returned to a life of prostitution and drug use. He also claims that Miss Halstead's head injury could have caused her to misidentify him. I have the right to refute those claims." He put the autopsy pictures of Nadia and the photos of Jes' injuries on the corner of his table, just in plain sight of Yates.

Judge Barth nodded. "You do. Proceed, Mr. Barba."

"Dr. Warren. The injuries that were sustained by Nadia Decotis, could they have been caused by a life in prostitution?"

"Yes, but highly unlikely."

"Can you explain why that is?"

"The lubricant found in both her vaginal vault and anus were the same brand. Also, a woman involved in a life of prostitution would be prepared for rough sex."

"This wasn't just rough sex?"

"No. This was a brutal, brutal attack. There was tearing and severe hemorrhaging from the rape. Not to mention the beating she took to the face and chest. Multiple fractures of ribs, facial bones… this was torture."

"Thank you, Doctor. Now… you have had time to read Miss Halstead's medical chart, correct?"

"I have. It's truly a miracle that she and the twins survived the attack."

"Why do you say that?"

"The human body is miraculous, especially when a woman is pregnant. On average, a pregnant woman has between 5 and 5 and a half litres of blood in the body. She lost close to 4 litres of it from the initial attack… that shock, in most cases would've caused her premature labour then and most likely the loss of one if not both of the twins."

"What about her head injury? We've heard that it could be possible that such a blow to the head could cause Miss Halstead to not identify her real attacker."

"The region of the brain that affects memory was not the region that was hit. She was hit in the occipital region, this controls sight. The temporal region of the brain is what controls memory and comprehension. Seeing as there is no damage on her CAT scans or MRIs in that region, but there was a concussion to her occipital region, she most definitely could have heard his voice and remembered it. The only thing that may have been off was her vision."

"So, to confirm, Doctor… Miss Halstead may not have seen her attacker, due to the blow she had taken to the back of her skull, but she would've heard his voice and would have been able to remember it?"

"That's correct."

"Thank you, Doctor." Barba sat back down.

"Doctor Yates? Any questions?"

Yates answered. "Yes!" While his co-counsel said, "No!"

"Well, which is it?"

"Yes." Yates stood up. He walked over to Barba's table. "May I?"

"Go ahead." Barba handed him both piles of images.

Yates was flipping through all of the images. Everyone in the courtroom saw the change. It was almost as if he was aroused by his handiwork.

"Dr. Yates, do you have questions?" The judge asked.

"Oh, yes." Yates began to question Dr. Warren. He went off on a tangent and showed his true colours when he began to basically incriminate himself in court.

"Mr. Barba, I'm willing to entertain an objection if you have one?" The judge asked.

"Oh, no… I'm fine." Barba just leaned back and watched as Yates put the final nail in this case against him.

"Come on, Doctor. We're both medical people! Did Nadia Decotis know these were her final moments?! Use your medical knowledge!"

Everyone in the courtroom, including the Judge, Jury and Court Reporter's jaws hit the ground. Yates froze. He realized what he had just done. "Or… or don't." He scurried back to his seat.

The jury just looked to each other before staring at Yates in horror. The SVU detectives were in shock. They knew that Rafael Barba did whatever was necessary to get a case to bed, but this was extreme even for him. He then got up to give his closing statement. He made it very clear that Yates was guilty and it was beyond a reasonable doubt. Yates made his closing statement, but it was obvious that he was shaken. His confidence was gone. The jury was escorted to the Jury Room for deliberation. Javier and Victoria led Jes, Antonio and Will to a small meeting room outside the courtroom for Jes to breathe. Jay went to check with Voight on how Erin was doing before joining his family in the meeting room.

Jes was resting on Antonio's shoulder when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Victoria said. She had gotten Jes a tea to calm her nerves.

Barba and Benson came into the room. Barba went to Jes. "How are you doing?"

"Is it over?" Jes sighed.

"Almost. The jury saw him for what he really is… a monster." Olivia knelt in front of Jes. "He can't hurt you ever again… or anyone for that matter."

"You played dirty in there, Counselor." Antonio pointed out.

"I did?" Barba smirked. "The jury kept seeing him as a kind, honest man with a great smile… the same way people saw Bundy originally… Cases like this, where the defendant is charming… you need to force them to show their true colours. He wasn't going to pass up a chance to review his handiwork."

Jes nodded. "As long as he pays, I really don't care what you had to do."

Barba smiled and took her hand. "Thank you, for giving your testimony. I know we didn't give you much choice in this, but your testimony pushed his hand."

"I just want him to pay for everything he's done… I don't want to ever relive that again. I don't want to hear his name; I don't want to see his face… I don't want to have to speak of what I've been through… EVER AGAIN." Jes emphasized.

"Babe, after today, he's dead to us… we're going to go home to our babies, and Eva and Diego… and come mid to end of July, we're heading back to your farm and we're going to be a family and spend time as a family." Antonio squeezed her hand.

"Promise?" Jes asked.

"I promise, Jeslyn… Nothing is going to come between us and our family anymore." He kissed her gently. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Jes whispered. Knowing that Antonio was going to be there no matter what; that their family was the priority now, made Jes feel at peace.

There was a knock at the door. Rollins poked her head in. "Jury's back."

Barba looked at his watch. "That didn't take too long." He smiled to Jes and her family. "That's a good thing."

They all made their way back into the courtroom. They stood as the judge re-entered the room. "Be seated." The bailiff handed her the paper from the jury leader. She read it and handed it back. "Madam Foreman, have you reached a verdict?"

The foreman stood and nodded. "We have, your Honour."

The judge nodded. "Proceed."

"On the counts of rape and sodomy in the first degree, we find the defendant… guilty."

Murmurs spread through the courtroom. Yates looked shocked.

"On the count of attempted murder, we find the defendant guilty. And on the count of murder in the first degree… we find the defendant… Dr. Gregory Yates… guilty."

Jes heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed against Antonio and wept tears of joy. Erin clung to Jay and Voight nodded in contentment. It was over.

"Dr. Yates will be remanded to Green Haven Correctional pending sentencing. Members of the jury, the state of New York thanks you for your service." She banged her gavel. "Court is adjourned."

Yates was led away by the bailiff, still shaken by the fact that he'd finally been caught. Barba came and shook everyone's hand. He paused at Antonio. "If I were you, I'd get her as far away from Manhattan as humanly possible… ASAP."

"I have no problems doing that." Antonio answered. "Thank you… for getting justice for all those women."

"It's my job… but I truly am glad to know that your sons, and your fiancée will be better and are survivors."

"Thank you."

Antonio led Jes out of the courtroom and to Javier's waiting SUV. It was over.

* * *

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* * *

They were going to rest at Javier's before catching their 11pm flight back to Chicago. Jes couldn't wait to be home, with all of their children. She napped while Antonio and Javier sat and discussed the case.

"I've never seen a lot of D.A.s over my years, but never someone like him." Antonio said as he took a swig of his coffee.

"Vicky says that he's got the best conviction rate… worked Brooklyn before sliding over to Manhattan."

"I wouldn't want to be the defendant in any of his cases… he doesn't mess around." Antonio sighed. "At least it's over." His cellphone began to ring. "Dawson."

"Antonio, it's Natalie… Dr. Manning."

"Oh, hi. Are the boys okay?"

"They're doing great. I was just wondering how much longer you'd be in New York?"

"We're coming home tonight."

"Thank goodness. Uh, the boys don't like the formula and we've almost run through the milk that Jes left… would you be able to stop by Med and she could nurse them… we're thinking they can go home after this weekend."

"Really?" Antonio asked excitedly.

"Yes. They're over 5lbs each now, able to breathe on their own… I think it's safe to say that they have their mother's fighting spirit."

"Thank you, Dr. Manning… Thank you so much."

"No problem. Have the nurses page me when you arrive?"

"Will do. See you tonight." Antonio ended the call. "Thank God."

"What's up?" Javier asked.

"Mateo and Jonathan can come home next week… that and they hate formula."

"That's great news!" Javier got up and hugged his brother.

"What are we celebrating?" Victoria asked as she walked in with Jay, Will, Hank and Erin in tow.

"Uh, that the boys are almost ready to come home." Antonio said. He was suddenly emotional. Tears of joy slid down his cheek. "Um, I need to tell Jes." He left the room to go and tell Jes the news.

Javier went over to Hank and shook his hand. "I'm so sorry about Nadia." He said and turned to hug Erin.

"She was family. But, we got justice for her and that's all that matters." Erin whispered.

"I brought Chinese… there's enough for everyone." Victoria said, heading to the kitchen.

"Here, let me help you." Will said, taking one of the bags.

"Thanks, Will."

Hank looked to Javier. "How's Jeslyn?"

"Exhausted. As soon as we came back, she went down for a nap. Today was hard on her, physically and emotionally."

"I'll check everything before we fly out tonight." Will said from the kitchen. "I may just sedate her for the flight."

"Don't sedate her too heavily. Natalie called and said she needs to come nurse the boys tonight… they hate the formula." Javier said, leading Hank and Erin to the dining table.

"Okay, fair enough." Will smiled. "She's strong… she and Antonio are going to get through this."

"I don't doubt that." Hank said.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"Baby." Antonio sat on the bed next to Jes. "Hey, Jeslyn."

"Mmm." Jes moaned. "Sleep."

"Babe, Natalie called from Med."

Jes bolted up. "Are Mateo and Jonathan okay?!"

"Calm down, Jes… they're fine." Antonio put his hands on her shoulders. "Natalie called to see when we'd be home… seems the boys don't like hospital formula. She asked that as soon as we land, we go to Med for you to nurse them."

Jes grinned. "Definitely. I want to see them… hold them."

"They'll be coming home soon too. She figures by Monday they should be home with us."

Jes' eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. She says they hit the 5lb mark… they're healthy, breathing on their own and no other complications. She just said that they need mommy… not formula." He pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Our lives are finally going back to normal…" He took her hands. "I promise you this… I will take such good care of you and all four of our children… I love you and I can't wait for you to be my wife."

Jes kissed him. "I can't wait for you to be my husband… September isn't that far away."

"I know. Soon." He kissed her again. "Victoria came home and brought supper… Jay and Will are back. Hank and Erin are here too… Turns out, we're all heading home on the same flight."

"Okay." Jes made her way to the edge of the bed.

Antonio helped her up and they headed out to enjoy one last family meal with Javier and Victoria before returning to their regular lives back in Chicago.

* * *

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* * *

They landed at O'Hare shortly after 1 in the morning. Jes wasn't tired. She was hyped up and ecstatic to be home. She was tired, but it wasn't the same tired she had been the past few weeks. It felt as if now, she'd finally be able to sleep. She waited patiently for Jay to bring the car around so they could head to Chicago Med. Then, they'd go home for the night. The next morning, they'd go and get Eva and Diego from Antonio's parents. Their family could finally be reunited.

They pulled into the Chicago Med parking lot and Jes was eager to get out of the car, but her footing was wobbly. At this point, Will grabbed a wheelchair.

"I'm not crippled." Jes said, staring at the wheelchair.

"No." Will answered. "But, you're tired. Humour me."

"Fine." Jes sat down. "Just get us to our babies, please."

They headed to the NICU. Will had Natalie paged as she had asked Antonio to do. She quickly appeared. "Welcome home."

"Thank you. Can we see them, please?" Jes was almost begging.

"Of course. They'll be very happy to see you." Natalie took the wheelchair. She pushed Jes into the step-down ward where Mateo and Jonathan had been moved before they had had to head to New York. "See… they must've have heard you were coming home."

Jes looked into their cribs. Both boys had their eyes open and were squirming. "Hi, guys. Mommy's back… oh… it's okay." She put her hand through the bars of Mateo's crib and gave him her finger. His tiny hand grasped it tightly. "Oh, you got so big and strong."

Antonio reached into Jonathan's crib and lifted him up. "Hey, little man." Jonathan just stared at his father. Antonio looked to Natalie. "Did my parents and the kids come by?"

Natalie nodded. "Yep. Every day you guys were gone. Eva and Diego held the boys today for a few minutes. They're smitten by their little brothers."

"That's so good." Jes just kept staring at Mateo. "You are loved… so loved. None of us will ever let anything happen to you."

Natalie reached into the crib and lifted Mateo out. "Okay, Mateo. Let's give you to Mommy so you can nurse… no more of that icky formula for you guys."

"I pumped a bunch while we were away… Will has it in the fridge I think." Jes said as she positioned herself to nurse Mateo.

"Good. We'll use it to feed them until you can come in tomorrow." Natalie smiled. "I'll let you two be and I'll go talked to Will and Jay. If these two keep it up, you can take them home on Monday."

"We can't wait." Antonio said as he rocked Jonathan. "We can't wait."

* * *

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, it took over a week to write this and I had to watch the SVU episode multiple times to get through it. I hope you enjoyed it! More to come soon… just be patient. I have begun a new job and it takes me a little more time to write, but I will bring more soon. Lots of love! Nicole**_


	39. Stand By You

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* * *

It had been over a month since they'd gotten back from New York. The boys were home and everyone was adjusting well. Jes had physically recovered from the attack, but was still dealing with the emotional aspect of it. She had been able to deal with the emotions during the day, but once the kids were asleep, it was a whole other ball game. In the last couple weeks, Antonio had been busy with a coffee shop that had gotten blown to smithereens. They had finally caught the bomber, but Kevin had left a soda can in the interrogation room. The bomber then used the can to kill himself. Kevin was then stripped of his role in Intelligence and put back on Patrol with Roman as his partner. Kim had been detailed up to Intelligence until Kevin got back in Voight's good books. Since they had been back, Jay and Jes hadn't really spoken. Jes didn't want to push anything with Jay, but she still felt that he'd rather be with Erin than with his family. When she brought this up with Will, his only response was that it was Jay.

Jes was putting the twins' freshly cleaned clothes away when she heard the garage door open. Antonio was home. She put the clothes away and headed to greet him. The kids were doing homework and the twins were sleeping in their swings in the living room.

"Hey, babe." Antonio kissed her. "How was everything today?"

"Well, the twins decided to take turns on puking on me… then they'd take turns dirtying their diaper. I'm starting to question my choice of cloth diapers."

"Your argument was that disposables are bad for the environment and too expensive." He reminded her.

"I know… It's better for them, but oye! It's insane how much laundry I did today… most of it was theirs."

He kissed her forehead again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I made an appointment to see Dr. Charles tomorrow."

"Is it helping?"

"Well, Olivia recommended it. She said it really helped her and she's a sergeant."

"Then, I can watch the kids while you're gone."

"Oh, that's one thing we'll never have to worry about."

"What's that?" Antonio hung his jacket in the hall closet.

"Child care… between Gaby, your parents, Jacquie, Will, Rhea… they all want to babysit… even Eva is saying that she's able to babysit."

"Well, she is 14…" Antonio reminded Jes.

"Your parents are gonna come by tomorrow while I go. They brought gifts for all the kids from their latest trip to the Dominican."

"Oh boy." Antonio groaned. "They better have remembered my coffee and my rum."

Jes just laughed. "I have no clue… you can talk to them about it tomorrow… wait… are you off tomorrow?"

Antonio nodded. "For now, anyhow… that can change though. We're on call."

"Fair enough. Tacos sound good for supper?"

"I'm not fussy… just no liver."

Jes gagged. "Ew! Nope… that will never, ever be something that I even let come into my kitchen."

"Then, you go get the kids to help you in the kitchen and I'm going to go check on 'Double Trouble'."

"Don't you wake them!" Jes hissed. "They need a nap."

"It's 6 at night, sweetheart."

"Don't care… they don't sleep through the night yet, so the more they sleep the better." Jes headed to the kitchen. "Eva? Diego? Let's make supper… Dad's home."

There was a patter of feet as the kids raced down the stairs. "Hi Dad!" They said as they raced passed him.

"Hey! What about my hug?" Antonio followed them into the kitchen.

Diego rushed over and hugged him before running back to the fridge to start pulling out the toppings for tacos. Eva was washing her hands. She dried them and gave Antonio a quick peck on the cheek. She went ahead and started cooking the beef.

"Jes, you have some magic gift with these kids." Antonio laughed before heading to check on the twins in their swings.

Jes just laughed. "Okay, so I'll make some quick pico de gallo to add to this. Diego, once you have all the toppings out, can you set the table?"

"Sure thing." Diego said. While kitchen duty wasn't his favourite thing to be doing, he knew that if he did what he was asked, he'd be able to do other things. He was still biding his time to ask his dad to go a friend's cabin for a couple weeks over the summer.

"Hey, Mom?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, Eva?"

"Why hasn't Uncle Jay been around lately?"

Jes wasn't sure how to answer that. She and Jay had been civil to each other but they hadn't really been the same since New York. "Uh, he's been doing a lot to catch up on stuff he missed while we were in New York."

"Oh." Eva sounded disappointed. "It's weird… he was always around… now, he's not. Like, we haven't seen him since Jonathan and Mateo's baptism."

"I know. I'll give him a call tonight, see if we can maybe have a family supper soon." Jes knew it was worth a try. She just didn't know if Jay would take her call.

"Hey, Jes!" Antonio called from the living room. "Why do these swing harness things need, like, a Rubik's cube to get them out. Jonathan needs a change."

"Coming." Jes laughed. "I think your dad is the only one who can't undo it." Eva snickered as Jes headed to the living room to help Antonio.

Antonio was struggling with the straps to get a screaming, red-faced Jonathan out of his swing. Mateo was happily gurgling in his and was trying to eat his fist. Jes laughed softly as she undid the harness with a flick of her wrist. She lifted their screaming son and started rubbing his back.

Antonio sighed. "How do you do it?"

"I spend most of the day getting them in and out of these things, their crib, their dirty clothes… I guess, I'm just a little more of a pro at this… however, I couldn't do your job."

Antonio ran his hand through his hair. "Fair enough… I guess I should learn how to do these things a little more. Spend time with all four kids, tomorrow."

"Well, you'll be fine. I'm only gonna be gone a couple hours." Jes laid Jonathan on the change mat. "You wanna tackle this?"

"Yep." Antonio knelt down and began to change his son. He hadn't forgotten that little boys needed to be covered to prevent getting a shower. He handed Jes the dirty diaper. "Are you sure you want to keep it up with the cloth diapers?"

"Yep. I'd rather wash a million of these before depending on disposables." Jes said. She took the diaper to the laundry room to soak.

Antonio shook his head. He finished the change and picked Jonathan up. He had quit his fussing and was just staring at his father. "I think Mommy might be losing her marbles."

"I heard that!" Jes called from the laundry room. She came back into the living room. "I think I'll feed them before we eat supper." She looked at Antonio. She smiled. Antonio was a natural-born father. She wasn't going to interrupt his moment with Jonathan. She picked Mateo out of his swing. She went to the glider rocker than Will and Jay had given her. It was specifically designed for breastfeeding.

Antonio sat on the couch and gently rocked Jonathan. "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

Jes' cheeks flooded with colour. "I'm thinking you're only saying that because my boobs are out right now."

"Not true." Antonio feigned hurt. "You've always been beautiful. Jonathan, tell Mommy how pretty she is." Jonathan just cooed. "See, even he says you're beautiful."

"He's only a month and bit old, Antonio… it's not like he really understands anything that's going on around him." Jes tried to reason with him.

"You hurt his feelings." Antonio said.

"Okay, well, Mateo's done, so can we switch?" Jes asked.

Antonio got up and took Mateo, then placed Jonathan in her arms. He gently burped Mateo. "Can I ask you a question, seriously?"

"Sure." Jes was gently rocking as she nursed Jonathan.

"What's really going on between you and Jay?" Antonio sat down. "When we met, he was always around, you two were inseparable. Yet, he hasn't been around since the whole New York thing. You haven't talked about him… what's going on?"

"I don't know." Jes said.

"I don't buy that, Jes." Antonio shook his head. "Something's up. We swore, no secrets."

Jes sighed. "We had a blow out… after the baptism… Will… he had to pull us apart."

Antonio's eyes bulged. "What the hell happened?"

"I lost my temper… bitched him out for caring more about Erin then his family."

Antonio was beginning to understand now. However, he also understood what it was like to be a cop. That was 100% of who Jay was now. "Uh, Jes… Erin is his partner… that… that's a bond that even trumps family sometimes… I would know."

Jes was shocked. "Antonio… family… family trumps colleagues… always."

"Jes, I know that you think it's that easy… but when we spend hours, days at time with them. When… when Jules died, I didn't let anyone in… ever… took forever for me to even just talk to Jay about it."

"But why her? How can you defend her? She tried to ruin our relationship from the start!"

"Yeah, but she's made up for that." Antonio reminded her.

"She acts like what Yates did only affected Nadia… that she's the only one who care about Nadia."

"Jes… Erin was the closest thing to a sister that Nadia had… they'd known each other a long time and Erin blames herself for what happened. That is a fact… Jay… he's trying to keep her from falling down a rabbit hole… Erin… she started out a lot like Nadia."

Jes didn't know what to say. "What… what are you talking about?"

"Erin came from a shitty family… her dad's not in the picture and her mom… well Bunny is bat crap crazy. Hank took her in as a teenager… he's her family now. But, this whole thing… with Nadia… Yates… she's blaming herself for everything that happened… to Nadia and to you."

"What? Does she even care about me?"

"Jes!" Antonio shouted, a little louder than he had meant to.

"Dad? Everything okay?" Eva poked her head into the living room.

"Yeah, uh, sweetie, can you and Diego start eating. We'll be there soon."

"Ooookay." Eva said. She knew darn well that something wasn't right, but she wasn't about to push it. She headed back into the kitchen and told Diego to grab a plate.

"Jes, Erin has blamed herself from day 1." Antonio said after calming his breathing.

"Why? She doesn't know me."

"No. She may not know you like Jay… or Will… or me… but she does know that you were helping plan her birthday party… when Yates attacked you. She knows that it almost got you killed. She knows how much you mean to Jay… add that to the guilt about Nadia… if someone isn't there for her… she'll be so far gone that even Voight won't be able to pull her back."

Jes suddenly was hit by a wave of guilt. "Wha… Oh my God."

"Yeah. Jes… you've been worried about you… and the boys… and you have every right to… but, Jes… Jay doesn't just have you in his life… he's been partnered with Erin for close to three years now… that's a long time… and they've been through a lot… so, I think… and you'll probably hate me for this, but you need to apologize to him."

Jes took a few moments to process all of this. "Oh boy."

"Now you got it?" Antonio asked as he gently placed Mateo back in his swing. "You want me to talk to him… get a sit-down going?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah… now I feel like a bitch."

"Jes, it's not what I wanted… but… you needed to know that this is more than the fact that Jay likes Erin. You are also young, and… well… I don't think you're used to having someone else being in his life in such a major role."

"You're basically saying I'm jealous of her." Jes concluded. She finished feeding Jonathan and burped him.

"In a long winded way, yes." Antonio sighed. "Baby, I love you… but… this isn't just about you, baby. It's normal to feel jealous, especially considering the relationship that you and Jay have. Jes, you have to let him know you're okay with this… that you support his choice… and that you know you're not the only girl in his life…"

Jes wiped away a tear that fell from her eye. "I can't believe I let myself get so petty."

"Between hormones and the trauma, I'm surprised you personally didn't try to kill her."

"Give me a little credit." Jes forced a small laugh. "Okay, I'm gonna put Jonathan down and we're gonna eat… then if you could call my brother, I'll fix this mess… I don't like not having all my family on the same page."

"Fair enough." Antonio took Jonathan from Jes. "Let's get this little guy back in the contraption that you call a swing and we'll figure this out."

"I love you, Antonio… I really do." Jes kissed him as he took their son from her arms.

"I love you too." Antonio put Jonathan in the swing. "Let's go eat before those little monsters eat all of those tacos."

* * *

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* * *

After supper, while Jes bathed the twins, Antonio went outside to call Jay.

"Antonio? Hey, what's up?"

"Not much, uh, Jay… you got a minute?" Antonio asked, pacing in the back yard.

"Yeah, yeah. Just finished supper."

"I talked to Jes… she told me what happened."

"She told you? Willingly?" Jay said. His tone suggested annoyance.

"Not willingly… but Jay, man… she's your sister."

"Who thinks that she's the only one who was affected by what Yates did."

"She thought the same thing of Erin." Antonio retorted. "Look, you let your temper get the best of you the same way hers did."

"What exactly are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting the two of you have a powwow and sort this shit out. The kids miss you, she misses you and I'm not really happy about being stuck in the middle of this mess." Antonio said. "Please, can you come over, and well, sit down… hell bring Will…"

"Okay, when." Jay sighed. He didn't like this situation either.

"Tonight. The kids are in bed… we have the day off tomorrow… just… sort this out… she knows the truth."

"Okay… I'll… I'll see if Will can meet me there… Text you when I'm on my way."

"Sure thing." Antonio ended the call and headed into the house to tell Jes.

An hour later, Jay and Will were there and the kids went to their rooms. The adults sat at the kitchen table and started the healing process.

"Jay…" Jes started. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for being a petty, whiny sister… I should've been more open to everything that was going on." She went on to explain everything that she and Antonio had discussed. "I didn't know."

Jay wanted to snap back but he could tell that Jes was being genuine. "You didn't ask, Jes."

"I know… I got swept up in everything." Jes' voice cracked. "I was being immature and childish. I just… I was wrong."

Jay sighed. "Jes, I love you… always will. You'll always be my girl, my sister, but right now, I really need you to understand something. Erin… I love her… and right now, I'm all she has… she blames herself for everything… not just Nadia… as much as the two of you haven't gotten along, she blames herself for what that son of a bitch did to you… that the boys were born ten weeks early… all of it… so, give her a break."

"I will… I know she feels bad… Antonio, he explained to me on how… how Hank took her in… and right now you're trying to stop her from going back to that."

"Good." Jay nodded. "I want to be able to talk to you and come over, but not if you're going to be sitting in the pity party all the time."

"That's why I'm… uh… I'm seeing Dr. Charles… at Med."

Will, who hadn't really been fully paying attention to this whole thing, was now at full attention. "Uh, when?"

"Tomorrow… I see him for my third appointment tomorrow." Jes sighed. It had felt like a burden to keep that to herself. Until now, only Antonio and Jacquie knew about this.

"Wow." Will looked to Jay.

Jay knew that look. He also knew of Dr. Charles' reputation. He was the best psychiatrist at Med. "Okay, well… has it seemed to be helping?"

"He's given me strategies to cope with this… to heal mentally and emotionally. He said that I need my family… and he really encouraged me to make things better with you."

"Remind me to thank him." Jay smiled. "I'm glad… Jes. You'll get better. We'll be here for you to help you through it too."

Antonio broke out beers for the guys and iced tea for Jes. The tension was gone and the family could start to heal as a unit.

* * *

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* * *

A week or so had passed by. Jay had been coming over and spending time with all the kids. It had made their day when he had started coming back around. Jes was finishing her morning routine when the doorbell rang. She turned off the lights and headed to the door. "Will? I thought Jay was coming."

"Jay got a call out… mass shooting at a gym, another reason why I think working out is overrated… he asked me to cover for him… it's just the twins."

Jes arched an eyebrow. "Just the twins? Wow… you have no clue how much work those two can be."

"They're babies… plus it'll be the last time I'll see them before the wedding."

"Will, we're not leaving until the end of this month." Jes sighed. They wanted to be back in Alberta before the August long weekend. Jes wanted to take the kids and Antonio to the Heritage Festival that was held there every year.

"I know, but I'm pulling as much OT to get the time off to come for a week or so before the wedding." Will grinned. "Come on." He hugged her. "Where are my darling nephews?"

"Down for their morning nap." Jes grinned. She closed the door behind him. "Want some coffee before I take off?"

"Sure." Will smiled.

They headed into the kitchen. Jes filled Will in on what was needed for the boys while she was gone to her appointment.

"Jes, you sound like Jay or Antonio planning a mission… chill. I'll be fine for a couple hours while you do what you need to."

Jes sighed. "I know… I just… I worry about the kids… all four of them."

"Where are Eva and Diego?"

"With Jacquie. They're helping her keep Vinessa distracted."

"How far is Jacquie along now?"

"She's due in early October."

"Is she safe to be traveling for the wedding?"

Jes nodded. "As long as they leave soon… her parents came in yesterday and they're leaving this weekend to take her and Vinessa back home. She'll be having the baby there… which is not what they wanted, but she didn't want to drive from Chicago to there and back."

"That is a long drive." Will put his now empty coffee mug in the dishwasher. "How are you gonna be with infants on a plane?"

"They'll be okay… I hope." Jes looked at her watch. "I gotta go. If you need anything, text me."

Will nodded. "Go… Dr. Charles doesn't like it when people are late."

She kissed his cheek, grabbed her keys and headed out.

* * *

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* * *

She arrived at Med 20 minutes later. She headed straight up to the 4th floor and knocked on Dr. Charles' office door.

Dr. Charles looked up from the file on his desk. "Jeslyn, you're right on time. Come in, come in." He closed the file and got up from his desk.

Jes closed the door behind her. "How are you today, Dr. Charles?"

"I'm well, thank you." He motioned to couch. "Have a seat. How are the children today?"

"Eva and Diego are helping my friend, Jacquie. Her husband is part of Intelligence with Antonio… he's been raising his little sister for a while and she's Diego's age. Eva is keeping Vinessa and Diego busy while Jacquie packs."

"She's taking a trip?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah. Um, she's my matron of honour for my wedding… she's leaving in a couple days, with Vinessa."

"Why so soon?"

"She's pregnant… she's due in October."

"Ah, I see. I take that Jacquie is a very important person in your life."

Jes smiled. "Yeah, she is. She's the sister I never had. She… she saved my life back in college."

"Ah, what you were talking about last time."

"Yep. She's been there for me all the time, even though her sister was killed because of me."

"I thought you had said that was a bad accident?"

"It was… but, it was caused because one of the men who had raped me didn't want to be faced with child support, even though I was going to give the baby up for adoption."

"Jacquie was also in the car?"

"Yeah, she's the one who managed to call for help. She stayed with me the whole time, helped me with my therapy… and got me to smarten up when I thought my life was worthless and I was willing to throw it away for drugs and alcohol."

"So she helped you overcome addiction?"

"Yes, she had the best way too… she threatened to tell Jay."

"Not your brother, Will?"

"No, um… Will and I didn't really have the best of relationships until this past year."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Isn't it a conflict of interest? He is one of your co-workers."

"True, but what we discuss here is strictly between us."

"Okay." Jes took a deep breath. "Will had already moved out by the time that I moved to Chicago… and after his mom took me in initially, Will was okay. After she decided to adopt me though, things changed."

"How so?"

"He didn't think it was a good idea, especially with how his dad tended to reappear at the worst times. He also thought that she was under enough stress with their dad leaving, and Jay being in the Rangers… so we had a fight, a big one. Jay got caught in the middle."

"Well, how did you go about mending things?"

"Jay… he, um… he told him I was getting married."

"How did he react?"

"He bought the first ticket out of New York and flew out to my family's farm."

Dr. Charles smiled. "So, you've gotten closer to both brothers?"

"Yes, and after working these things out with Jay, we're stronger." Jes sighed. "Is it normal for me to worry about the kids all the time?"

"Well, a good mother will always have her kids at the front her thoughts. Any good parent will. Considering everything you've been through… I'm surprised you haven't wrapped them up in bubble wrap."

Jes laughed. "That thought had crossed my mind but Antonio was against it."

"Well, at least you still have a sense of humour. You seem to be healing quite well. Have you been doing those exercises we discussed?"

Jes smiled. "Yeah, actually, all of us sit down and colour for about half an hour each night before bedtime… the kids have said they sleep better."

"What about the nightmares?"

"I haven't woken up and punched Antonio lately if that's what you're asking."

"I bet he's appreciative of that." Dr. Charles laughed. "But, you are still having them?"

"Yeah… I keep seeing him… smelling him."

"Okay, I'm going to recommend another therapy you can try at home. Write."

"Write? Write what?"

"Anything you want. I generally recommend a journal or something of the sorts. A story… anything really… just take your feelings and put them on paper. Once you've done that, put the book, paper, whatever away. After a while, you'll find it again… reread it and burn it."

"You're encouraging me to burn things?"

Dr. Charles laughed. "I guess you could say that." He looked at his watch. "Our hour is up…"

"Um, Doc… I have another quick question… maybe we can go ever it next time."

"Shoot."

"I'm worried about my wedding."

"Jeslyn, I think that wedding jitters are a whole other problem than what you already have… and…"

"No… um… not that… um… how will this trauma… affect me and Antonio… the intimacy that comes… with being married."

"Oh!" Dr. Charles caught onto what Jes was talking about. "Um, well what you've been through, could have an effect on any intimacy plans you may have… I'll come up with some strategies for our next time. Think you'll be okay until then?"

Jes nodded. "It's not like Antonio's pushing the subject…"

"Good… Jes, I want you to always remember how important it is for you to have this support from Antonio and from your brothers."

"Thank you, Dr. Charles. You've been amazing too."

Dr. Charles grinned. "Same time next week?"

"Sure thing."

"If you need anything, call or text me… okay?"

"Deal." Jes shook his hand and headed out of his office. She stopped in the ED to show Natalie some pictures of the twins.

"Hey, Jes!" Natalie greeted her warmly. "How have you been?"

"Really good." Jes replied. "How about yourself?"

"Busy, but good."

"I wanted to show you some pictures of the boys." Jes whipped out her phone and flipped through a half dozen or so different pictures of Mateo and Jonathan doing a variety of things.

Natalie was happy to see that the boys were growing well. "They look so happy. I can see Eva and Diego have taken right to being a big brother and sister."

"That they did. They've been amazing."

"How's Antonio adjusting?" Natalie inquired.

"I think he forgot about the lack of sleep part, but he's doing good. He seems to feel bad about not being at home as much."

"He'll adjust… it's like starting over."

Jes looked at Natalie. "What exactly are you hiding?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's something about you… different." Jes couldn't put her finger on it though.

Natalie pulled her into a back room away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago Med's Emergency Department. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh my God!" Jes exclaimed. "Congrats!"

"Yeah… I'm just waiting for Jeff to be able to take a Skype call to tell him."

"He'll be thrilled."

"I hope so. At least I know that he'll be back by the time I'm due." Natalie always worried when her husband, Jeff was deployed, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. It was his last tour for a while, and they did need the money.

Jes hugged her. "It's going to be okay. I gotta go. I left Will with the twins."

"Go. I'll see you again soon. Give those beautiful babies a kiss from me."

"Will do." Jes checked her phone as she left the ED. She sighed. Will had texted her saying that Antonio's parents had shown up to 'help'. She headed straight home, praying that Will had survived being alone with the twins and Antonio's parents. While her future in-laws were a godsend in helping them with everything, they did tend to be very opinionated on how they were taking care of the boys. Antonio swore to her that they had done the same thing to Laura with Eva and Diego. She stopped at the market quickly to pick up some fresh veggies and some meat to make a nice dinner for tonight. Jacquie, Vinessa and Kevin were coming over with Jacquie's parents. It was the only night that everyone was able to make work before Jacquie headed back to Alberta. She had decided on a roast chicken with potatoes, corn on the cob, carrots, beans as well as a tossed salad with homemade vinaigrette. She paid for her ingredients and headed home.

* * *

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* * *

"I'm home!" She called out as she came into the house from the garage. She put the groceries down on the island in the kitchen. "Will? Mami? Papi?" She called out.

Will's car was still parked on the street. He was still here. Antonio's parents lived close by, so they generally walked. She went into the living room. Will was there with Antonio's parents. The twins were in their swings. Will had his cell phone out recording Minion pushing the twins in their swings. The twins were just content and reaching for Minion's tail. She didn't seem to care. Jes was thankful that cats didn't seem to mind of small children yanked at them or poked them. Minion thought it was a game. Jes leaned against the doorway. It was quite the sight to see.

Will stopped recording and grinned. "Sorry. Had to film this to show Jay."

"It's all good. Glad to know she's okay with them." She went and sat next to her brother.

Constanza Dawson smiled. "I will be honest, I was worried that the cat would try to smother the boys, but she seems to like them."

"Mami, cats just see babies as furless kittens." Will laughed.

"Si, si." She agreed. "Just old habits, Will."

"Everything okay, Jes?" Will asked his sister.

"Yeah, just thinking about where I'm putting all the people coming over for supper tonight." Jes laughed. "You able to make it tonight?"

"What time?" Will looked at his watch.

"Eight."

"I should be able to, providing nothing big comes in."

"Okay." Jes smiled. "You should get going. Don't want Mrs. Goodwin to get pissed at you."

Will got up and hugged his sister. "Wouldn't dream of it." He kissed her cheek. "See you later." He looked to Emmanuel and Constanza. "It was nice to see you again."

"You too, Will." Emmanuel grinned. "Have a good shift."

Will grabbed his jacket and headed out for his shift.

Jes looked to her in-laws. "Coffee?"

"Gracias, Jes." Constanza replied. "I'll go. You stay." She got up and headed to the kitchen.

Jes knew darn well that she wasn't going to win. Antonio had taught her that. "I'll just have tea, Mami… thank you."

Constanza nodded.

Emmanuel smiled at Jes. "Did you get all your errands done?"

"Yeah, the market was a little crazy today… which was surprising." She was thankful Will hadn't told them that she was seeing Dr. Charles. While the therapy sessions were helping her recovery, she didn't want a whole bunch of people knowing about it.

"Your session went well?"

Emmanuel's question caught Jes off guard. "Um… session?"

"Mija, you don't have to worry about it… we would be worried if you weren't speaking to a professional after everything you've been through."

"I just… I didn't want to be seen as weak."

"Seeking help isn't a sign of weakness, Jes… it's a sign of strength. Only the strong realize that they actually need help."

"Thank you, Papi." Jes grinned. "It's going well. I'll see him again next week at the same time. It'll be the last time before we leave to finish planning for the wedding."

"Good, good." Emmanuel grinned back. Just then, Mateo began to fuss. Jes went to get him out of the swing, but Emmanuel, despite his age, beat her to it. "I've got this. Come here, Mateo. Abuelo will take good care of you." He took Mateo from the swing and began to walk around the room gently rocking Mateo.

Jes smiled as Mateo almost instantly calmed down. Part of her felt a twinge of sadness. Her children would never know their maternal grandfather. She'd have to take them to her father's grave site one day. Constanza reappeared with a tray with coffee for herself and Emmanuel and a tea for Jes. The three of them sat and discussed some details for the wedding, specifically Jes' gift to Antonio.

After a while, the twins needed to be fed, so Constanza and Emmanuel headed home. They'd be back for supper later on. They felt that Jes needed some time to herself with the twins and to get the meal going. Jes nursed the boys, burped them and then brought them to the kitchen in their little bouncy seats. While they napped, Jes began to prep the meal.

She rinsed the chicken before seasoning it with salt, pepper and fresh herbs. She placed it in the oven and set about to prepping the veggies so all she had to do before supper was get them cooked. She grinned as Minion hopped up onto the table and laid down in front of the boys' bouncy chairs. Right now, everything was feeling as it should.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was beat. This whole plot thing was driving everyone nuts. They had Voight who went off script and went into the building to confront the shooters. It was during that time that they came to realize that the fourth gunman had actually stayed behind at the gym. They had also realized that it wasn't the CEO that was their target but the lawyer, Hastings. The team geared up and headed to where Hastings was holed up in discussions. They barged in, much to their protest. Voight stayed with him while the others spread out trying to find the youngest of the shooters.

Jay had been ordered to watch Hastings. It wasn't his dream job, but it's what the boss had ordered. He prayed Erin didn't do anything stupid. He didn't know what the hell was going on with his partner anymore. She'd been late to work and was giving Voight attitude, something that didn't happen often. Generally, that meant that he'd be kicking her ass to the curb.

Antonio and Al were clearing their area when they heard Erin. They rushed forward but Erin told them to stand down. Antonio and Al kept their guns trained on Nick but Erin was in the way. What made matters worse was that he had a loaded and cocked 9mm pointed at her head. Antonio was in shock when Erin started taunting him. He could hear it in her voice. It was as if she was begging for him to take her out right there. Antonio had to talk to Jay about this, but first, they had to get Erin out of there alive. He sighed in relief as the kid handed his weapon to Erin. He and Al moved in to put the cuffs on him. Voight came and tried to talk to her, but she pushed him away, handing him the gun.

When they got back to the district, Jay couldn't find Erin. He went to the front desk. "Hey, Sarge? You see Erin?"

"Presently, no." Platt answered.

"Recently?" Jay wasn't in the mood for one of her games

"Yes." Platt looked up from her pile of paperwork. "She left."

"Damn it!" Jay pounded the desk. "How was she?"

"She's mourning, Detective." Platt glared at him. "Hit my desk again, and find out how upset I'll be."

Jay stomped back upstairs to the locker room. He punched his locker and collapsed onto the bench. He needed to talk to Erin. He had to do something to keep Erin from nosediving out of control.

"Hey, bro… what the hell?" Antonio asked.

"Erin… man, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with her."

"Uh, she lost her best friend… a person she considered like a sister."

"Yeah, I know… but I've been trying to get her to stop blaming herself, but it isn't working."

"Jay," Antonio sat next to him. "She needs to realize that herself… and it isn't easy."

"I can't lose my partner, Antonio."

"I know, man, but she needs to see it… we can't force her. We do, she'll just go that much further down the rabbit hole."

Jay hung his head. "Don't tell Jes, please."

"I won't. But, she'll know something's up with you."

Jay sighed. "Yeah, well… I'll figure it out. I need to go home, shower and change. I'll see you at supper?"

"Definitely." Antonio said. He watched as Jay left. He knew he should've told Jay about what Erin had done, but he also knew that if he did, Jay would go all Voight on this. He grabbed his jacket and headed home. Kevin had said he'd bring Eva and Diego when they came over. He wanted to help Jes set up for tonight. It was the first time since the Yates' trial that Jes was actually entertaining at home. He knew she'd be wanting it perfect, but she couldn't do it alone, as much as she thought she could.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was mashing potatoes when Antonio got home. By this point, Gaby and her parents were there. They had set up the dining area in the family room. Antonio handed Jes a large bouquet of flowers.

"Babe, you didn't have to bring me these." Jes said, kissing him.

"I figured some bright colours would be a nice touch." He grinned. "How was everything today?"

"Good… ask Will to see the video of Minion with the boys. It was priceless." Jes smiled.

"Minion was playing with the boys?" He said over her shoulder, watching as she chopped a variety of veggies for the tossed salad.

"Yep… ask him to show you. He filmed it. Your parents were here."

"Oh boy… did they give Will a hard time?"

"No… they were worried about Minion, but as long as someone's watching her when she's around the boys, it's all good. Did you tell your parents I'm seeing Dr. Charles?" Jes asked.

"Uh, no… you said no one but me and your brothers and Gaby."

"Would Gaby have told them?"

"Would I have told them what?" Gaby appeared in the kitchen with Mateo in her arms.

"Did you tell Mami and Papi that Jes is seeing Dr. Charles?"

Gaby shook her head. "Nope. You said it was private."

"Then how the heck did they know that she is?" Antonio was curious.

"You ever think that Mami and Papi aren't dumb?" Gaby replied. "She's going at the same time every week for a set amount of time… plus, they recommended it to me when Shay died." She started cooing to Mateo. "I honestly missed having babies around."

"You know, you and Matt could just get back together and have one." Antonio pointed out.

"Mateo, tell your daddy to butt out of Tia Gaby's business." Gaby stuck her tongue out at her big brother.

"Mature, Gaby. Really mature." Antonio laughed.

"Will you guys either lend a hand in here or go bug the hell out of each other elsewhere?" Jes said with a touch of aggrevation

"Give me my son and you two can have some girl time in here." Antonio reached for Mateo.

Gaby sighed and handed over her nephew after giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Fine."

Antonio whispered to Mateo as they headed back to the living room to join his parents.

"So, are you and Matt going to give the relationship another go?" Jes asked as she put some peppers into a bowl and grabbed some mushrooms to chop.

"I don't know." Gaby grabbed a nice and started dicing some tomatoes. "We… we slept together a little while back…"

"What?!" Jes dropped the knife. "Seriously!?"

"Chill!" Gaby hissed. "Yeah… after the bombing… we… it was just adrenaline."

"Riiiiiiight." Jes smirked.

"He's busy with his construction gig at that strip joint…" Gaby sighed. "I love him, but… honestly… I'm not sure he and I are at the same place for relationship."

"Gaby, give the guy a shot." Jes suggested. "Isn't that the advice you gave me concerning Antonio?"

"I never thought that would come back and bite me." Gaby muttered.

"Give the guy a chance, Gaby… I'm serious… Antonio thinks Matt's been using you."

"My big brother would think that." Gaby scoffed.

"Hey, my brother thought the same thing of Antonio." Jes reminded her.

"Jes, I'll… I'll see what happens… I'm just not ready for more heartbreak."

Jes understood where Gaby was coming from. "Fair enough. Think this is enough food?" Jes motioned to the large spread that had taken over the island.

"Uh, is the entire firehouse coming over for supper?" Gaby snickered.

Jes just glared at her. "Let's get this food on the table. They should be here soon."

The rest of the crew arrived shortly after Jes and Gaby got the food to the dining room. They sat down and shared jokes. Jacquie would ask for advice from Jes concerning baby things and for once, Jes was able to answer. It felt good to help Jacquie. For most of the years Jes had known her, Jacquie had always been the one to be giving advice.

"All I can say is, teach Kevin how to change diapers on a boy… you can borrow the twins." Jes laughed.

"Uh, I know how to change diapers." Kevin jumped in. "I know little boys tend to pee on you if you don't cover them with a fresh diaper right away."

"Oh, good." Jes smirked. "Antonio forgot that the other day."

Antonio grimaced. "Don't remind me… I had to get rid of my favourite shirt because of that."

The whole table erupted into laughter. Jay and Will cleared the table while Jes served the dessert. She'd made old-fashioned carrot cake as well as a German Chocolate cake with a walnut and coconut filling. She handed out everyone's choice and they dug in.

"Jacquie, you getting anxious?" Jes asked.

"Yep." Jacquie nodded. "I know I'm not due for another 3 months, but it's scary… I'm worried that it could come sooner."

Jes knew that feeling all too well. "Dr. Mayo is great and he'll take good care of you."

"I know. Thanks for getting me referred to him." Jacquie grinned. "By the way, how did you know I'd been craving carrot cake?"

Kevin replied. "I may have hinted at something when she asked me what you'd want for dinner tonight."

Jacquie leaned over and kissed him. "Thanks, Kevin. This really helped that craving."

"Vinessa, you excited?" Eva asked.

"Am I excited to see Alberta without snow? Totally!" Vinessa exclaimed. "I heard there are lots of cool things to do in the summer."

"There are." Jes confirmed. "Once we get there next month, we'll gladly take you to some of them."

"Sweet. Thanks, Jes." Vinessa said gratefully.

The kids volunteered to clear up the table while the adults chatted for a little while longer. Soon it was time for Jacquie and her family to head home as they had one more day of packing before their flight the next night. Jacquie was also exhausted. Once they left, Jay and Will help rearrange the house back to normal so that it was less work for Jes the next day.

Antonio cornered Jay. "Hey, did you see Erin after that thing went down with the lawyer?"

Jay shook his head. "Nope. I tried to catch her before she left the District, but she was gone. Voight doesn't know what to do with her anymore."

Antonio sighed. "I was there… when she found Nicholas… she was almost taunting him to shoot her."

Jay's jaw dropped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she was literally telling him to shoot her."

"Fuck." Jay looked around. "I need to find her… I'm losing her."

"I know, man… I'll come help you look." Antonio suggested.

"No… You need to be home with Jes and the kids."

"Jay, you can't do this alone either."

"I… okay… just… make sure Jes knows." Jay conceded.

Antonio nodded and went to let Jes know. While she still wasn't Erin Lindsay's #1 fan, she was a lot more open to anything that concerned her.

Will came over and joined Jay by the coat closet. "What's up with you two?"

Jay groaned. "Not you too."

"Not me what? Jay talk to me."

"It's Erin." Jay sighed. "Antonio said she was basically taunting the shooter from our latest case to blow her brains out."

"Shit."

"Yeah, so Antonio's volunteered to come help me look for her."

"I'll come too."

"Will, don't you have to get back to shift?" Jay motioned to his watch.

"I could cite a family emergency." Will offered.

Jay shook his head. "No. Go back to work… I'll keep you updated, though."

"Good. Thanks." Will hugged his brother. "I'll go say bye to Jes and the kids… let me know if you need me. I'm always here for you."

"I know. Thanks."

Will headed to the living room to bid farewell to his sister, niece and nephews. He then grabbed his jacket and headed back to Chicago Med. Antonio and Jay promised to keep Jes updated and they, too, headed out to go try and find Erin.

After 3 hours of searching, Antonio suggested that they check out the bar where Erin's mother worked.

"Do you honestly think she'd go see Bunny about all this?" Jay asked.

"We've looked everywhere else." Antonio replied.

Jay sighed. Bunny wasn't the influence Erin needed right now. He didn't want her around Erin, but he couldn't control either of them. Antonio stopped in front of the bar. It looked like a dive. Jay cringed. This wasn't what he'd pictured Erin doing, but he knew that Antonio was right and that they needed to at least check. They got out of the truck and headed inside.

The instant they stepped into the bar, it went silent. They stood out from the usual crowd that was there. It was obvious they were cops. They made their way through the crowd to the bar.

"Is Bunny around?" Jay asked the bartender.

"Bunny!" He shouted gruffly. "Cops are looking for you."

Bunny came running from the back room. "What happened? Is Erin okay?" Then she saw Jay and Antonio. "Oh, you two." Her tone suggested her annoyance. "What do you two clowns want?"

"We want Erin. Where is she?" Antonio asked.

"Hell if I know." Bunny tried to leave.

Jay grabbed her arm. "No… you're going to tell us where she is… or so help me…"

"Jay." Antonio cautioned him.

"No!" Jay snapped. "She's poisoning Erin when she's down… Erin doesn't need her shit…" He looked back to Bunny. "Where is ERIN?!"

A couple of big, biker guys came up to them. Antonio flashed his badge and his hand went to his guns. The men backed away. Bunny looked at them as if they'd betrayed her. Antonio got up in her face. "Listen here… you tell us where she is… we go away… you don't… I'll get Voight… I know about the deal he made with you… he'll be pissed to see you reneging on it."

Bunny snarled at him. "She went home… with a guy."

Jay took a couple steps back. He didn't believe it. "She wouldn't just go off with some guy."

"Oh, no… not a random guy… an old boyfriend."

Antonio wanted to smack the smirk off her face. "Jay, let's go."

"Antonio." Jay pleaded.

"Jay, just… leave that bitch her own devices… she'll get hers someday." Antonio grabbed Jay by the arm and basically dragged him out of the bar, leaving Bunny, stunned in their wake.

They got back into Antonio's truck. Antonio looked to Jay to see what he wanted to do next. He looked to his future brother-in-law. He saw the look in his eyes. It was the same look he had seen in his own eyes after Laura took his kids. "Jay."

"Antonio…" He sounded defeated. "I think I lost her."

"What… whatta ya want me to do bro?" Antonio asked.

"Take me home." Jay hung his head and turned to look out the window.

Antonio didn't push the subject anymore. He turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the bar. He drove back to his house. He killed the engine. "Jay, stay here tonight."

"Why?"

"Because you shouldn't be alone." Antonio answered.

"I'll be fine." Jay retorted.

"Uh huh." Antonio said. "Wait until Jes hears…"

"No… don't… Antonio… don't bring her into this… she has enough on her plate… the kids… the wedding…"

"You're her brother… talk to her… at least." Antonio got out of the truck and walked towards the house.

Jay sighed and followed him. He was starting to remember what it was like when Jes would go through this stuff. He walked in the door just in time to hear Antonio tell the kids to go to their rooms and that the grown-ups needed to talk. Jay went to sit in the kitchen. He was going through what he should do about Erin when Jes and Antonio joined him in the kitchen.

"Jay," Jes said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Antonio kinda gave me the short version."

"Jes… I don't know what to do… I'm letting my partner slip away." Jay put his head in his hands. "I don't know how I lost her."

Jes looked to Antonio. Antonio went to the liquor cabinet and poured Jay a Scotch. He grabbed himself a beer from the fridge and poured Jes some iced tea. She was still not drinking because she was breastfeeding. Jay took the Scotch from Antonio and thanked him.

"Jay, you told me that we can't blame ourselves for this kind of thing… you can't be putting this on you… you're not the one making her do this." She sat next to him at the island. "All you can do is be there for her."

"Jes… her mom is poisoning her."

"What do you mean?" Jes knew from what Antonio had said, that Bunny was scum.

"Instead of going to Voight or coming to me, she went to a bar… to her psychotic mother!" Jay exclaimed. "Bunny was never there for her… Erin told me… and now…" He finally broke down. He loved Erin but right now, he was at a complete loss.

Jes looked to Antonio. The look said "Help me."

"Jay, we can talk to Voight in the morning." Antonio suggested. "He's got leverage over Bunny… maybe… he can do something."

Jay looked up. "You think that Bunny is afraid of Voight."

"She should be." Jes muttered. While she was in Hank Voight's good books, she was still a little unnerved by him. He was a no bullshit guy. Bunny was definitely not in his good books. "If you won't tell him, I will… I'm not going to stand by and watch you hurt because she can't see you're only wanting to help her."

"Jes…" Antonio cautioned her. "We can't force anything at this point."

Jes sighed. "I can't stand seeing everyone hurt. This all goes back to Yates… can I just fly to New York and shiv the son-of-a-bitch?"

"As much as that would make all of our lives easier, no." Jay sighed. "I don't want my baby sister to go to prison for killing a man who actually deserves it." He looked at his glass. "Hey, 'Tonio… could I get another?"

Antonio nodded. "Sure, just you're crashing here tonight."

"Sure." Jay conceded. "Just… fill it up."

Antonio took the glass. "I'll go clean the room." He filled it and handed it back to Jay. He kissed Jes on the cheek and whispered. "I think you should fill Will in."

"Yep." She nodded.

Antonio headed to the guest room to make up the bed and move some files out of it to Jes' office.

Jes sat next to him. "You love her, don't you?"

Jay looked to her. "What makes you say that?"

"I know the look… it's the same look Antonio gives me, Matt gives Gaby, Adam gives Kim… Kevin gives Jacquie… that's why this is so hard… it's not just because she's your partner."

"Jes…"

"Voight won't let you date… I know…" Jes hugged him. "Does she know how you feel?"

"I think… I honestly don't know… she's so far down that rabbit hole. I'm not sure if I can pull her back… or even help her save her job."

"You think she'll do something stupid with this guy?" Jes asked.

"I'm guessing he probably wasn't an altar boy." Jay gulped the last of his Scotch, letting it burn his throat. "Erin was into all kinds of shit before Voight took her in."

"Antonio hinted at that." Jes said.

"One of her ex's was involved in case we got… a little bit before you came home… he tried to accuse her of murder… it was all because he was blackmailing her to help him… she went to Voight then… but she didn't have Nadia in her life just yet… Nadia had just gotten out of rehab then… Antonio… he was stuck in the office because he'd just come back to duty from getting shot."

"Ah, yes… my husband to be seems to attract those things called bullets." Jes tried to lighten the mood.

"He does… but we got the guy, not short of Erin almost losing her job… I don't know what Voight'll do this time. If she goes back to the drugs and shit… I don't know if he has enough clout to save her."

"He'll figure it out… and you'll get your partner back… not sure when, but you will…" Jes kissed his cheek, sliding the Scotch glass out of his hand. "Let's get some sleep… you can figure this out with a sober mind and good night's sleep."

Jay nodded numbly and got off the bar stool. He hugged his sister tightly. "Thank you, Jes."

"You've been there for me, Jay… I think… It's about time to return the favour." She led him to the guest room. "Sleep… and give me your car keys."

"Jes."

"Nope… hand them over. I'm not risking you driving over to her place and risking your life or job tonight." Jes extended her hand. "I love you too much to allow that to happen."

Jay sighed. He reached into his pocket and handed her his keys and his wallet.

"Thank you." Jes took them. "Go sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Jay went into the room and closed the door. Jes went to the master bedroom, which was down the hall. She closed the door behind her. Antonio was in the bathroom shaving. She grabbed her phone and texted Will to keep him informed. Will replied that he'd check on Jay after he got off at Med in the morning. Jes thanked him and put her cell to charge.

Antonio came out of the bathroom, wiping his face. "How is he?"

"A wreck… he thinks that she may be too far from saving."

Antonio groaned. He remembered what happened the last time parts of Erin's past had reared its ugly head. "Look, I can get Voight to deal with Bunny… but Erin… she's gonna have to admit that she needs our help."

Jes took off her engagement ring and applied some lotion to her hands. She slid the ring back on and admired it. Antonio sat on the bed next to her. She leaned on him. "I'm worried about Jay."

"There's isn't much you can do love… we take off in a week." Antonio reminded her.

Jes sighed. She wanted to help Jay so much. "I feel as if I'm partially to blame for this mess."

"Jes, neither you, nor Jay is to blame… this is all a consequence of what Yates did… and Erin… she… this is so fucking complicated." Antonio growled. "I want to shake her, wake her up… she's got so much potential."

"Maybe I could talk to her… tell her that it's not her fault."

"I don't know… she almost lost it when she saw you at the memorial for Nadia." Antonio said.

Jes remembered. It was made that much harder knowing that Nadia had been accepted to the Police Academy. Erin had completely broken down. She had been beyond pissed. Jes hadn't had the chance to talk to her, to make peace with her yet. Jes didn't blame Erin. She never had. She may not have liked Erin, but Erin was beating herself for something that wasn't her fault. She wanted to tell her that. To tell her that she can't keep doing this to herself or to tell Erin that she forgave her. Even though Jes knew it was never Erin's intention for this to happen, she figured that saying she forgave her might help Erin's emotional state. She was wondering if she might be able to see Dr. Charles tomorrow. He may be able to give her more advice. She was tempted to text him right now. She looked at the clock on the nightstand.

"What are you thinking about?" Antonio could tell she was thinking about something.

"Texting Dr. Charles. Maybe he can give me some advice."

"It's almost midnight."

"He told me to text or call him any time." Jes told him.

"Okay, send him a text. If you need someone to watch the kids…"

"I think I can trust Eva with them for a little bit…" Jes smiled. "It's not a regular appointment…" Her phone dinged. "Oh, he could see me first thing tomorrow… 7 am."

"I'm not scheduled to be at work til 9… I can stay, but let Eva do most of the work?"

Jes laughed. "Good plan… I think it's time we let her have a little bit more responsibility…. She is 14 after all."

Antonio sighed. "I just… She's 14…. Diego is almost 10… and then we have the twins."

"Antonio… it's going to be okay." She kissed him. "It's going to be okay."

Antonio wished he could agree with her, but deep down in his gut he suspected that something much worse than Erin's problem was brewing on the horizon. He didn't like these gut feelings. The last time he had one, he got shot and Pulpo had escaped. He didn't want to worry Jes. "Yeah, it will." He pulled the covers over them and turned out the lights. Whatever was coming, it wasn't going to be pretty, but he wasn't about to drag his family through hell anymore.

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, I know this had been a long time coming and I'm sorry! I've been busy with a new job… well, juggling 3 jobs and trying to get in to see a fertility specialist. I'm on a snowy day off today, so here you go! Enjoy and please let me know what you think! Lots of love! Nicole**_


	40. Breakup In A Small Town

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* * *

Antonio tossed and turned all night. He finally gave up trying to sleep around 4. He got up and grabbed his gym bag. Maybe he just needed to work out his frustration and anger. He didn't need to keep Jes up with his inability to sleep. He threw on some clothes and went to leave. He bent down and kissed her forehead. He'd leave her a note in the kitchen in case he wasn't home by the time she woke up to feed the twins. He headed to his truck and quietly pulled out of the driveway. He headed over to Matador's and changed. He headed to the heavy bag and began to hit it. Everything that had happened in the last couple months had been insane and he'd been bottling everything up. He was lost in his thoughts as he punched the bag.

"Antonio!" A distant voice jolted him from his rage driven combo attack.

"Huh?" He spun around.

There stood one of the men who had saved his life as a teenager. "Morning, Antonio. In awfully early, aren't you?" Sergeant Hopkins asked.

"Yeah, uh… couldn't sleep." Antonio stepped back, away from the heavy bag.

"Twins keeping you up?"

Antonio shook his head. "No… they've been really good. Something going on at work… it's gnawing at me."

"Your brother-in-law?" Sergeant Hopkins guessed.

"No… he and I have been pretty good lately. Another co-worker… anyhow… what are you doing here so early?"

Sergeant Hopkins scratched his chin. "Came in to do inventory."

"For?"

"I need to sell the place…" He answered. "It pains me to have to do that, but… I'm in over my head. The pension I get from CPD barely covers the basics and I'm not able to keep this place open."

"But… what about the Police Youth Boxing League?" Antonio asked. That program had saved his ass back when he was 14.

"I wish I could keep it alive, but I sank my last $10, 000 in savings into this place, and I can't keep it up anymore."

Antonio let this sink in. "Hmm… how much would I need to buy this place?"

"You wanna buy a boxing gym?" Sergeant Hopkins was surprised. "I know you like boxing and all, but wouldn't it just be easier to buy equipment and put it in the basement at home?"

"I have some… but I'm thinking more for the kids that use the Youth Boxing League to get out from under the gangs… like I did."

Sergeant Hopkins nodded. "All in, the place is $100,000."

Antonio pondered that. "Okay… don't go do anything rash, I'm gonna talk to some of my partners back at the District… maybe we could work something out."

"Sure, Antonio. I don't want this place turned into some hipster coffee shop… we've got enough of those here as it is."

"I don't want this place to disappear either." Antonio sighed. "I'll get back to you ASAP."

"Appreciate it." Sergeant Hopkins patted his shoulder. "You on today?"

Antonio nodded. "Yep…"

"Then, I suggest you get your butt in gear… you'll be late."

Antonio looked at the clock on the wall. "Shit. Uh, thanks Sarge."

"Anytime, 'Tonio." Sergeant Hopkins slowly made his way back to his office.

Antonio quickly showered, changed and rushed home to pick the kids up to take them to P2K. Jes needed some time to finalize the surprise she had planned for the family, so the kids would be spending this week with the others at P2K.

When he arrived home, he was greeted by the smell of burned toast and the smoke detector going off. He turned off the smoke alarm and headed into the kitchen. "Jes? Since when do you burn toast?"

Eva poked her head up from behind the island. "Mom's feeding the twins… I was making toast and it got stuck… so… it's charcoal."

Antonio unplugged the toaster and fought to get the burnt toast from the appliance. "Okay, well, how about I pick you and Diego up some breakfast on the way and you go finish getting ready?"

"Works for me!" Eva exclaimed. She hugged her father and booked it out of the kitchen.

Diego looked to Antonio. "So, I made oatmeal for nothing?"

"Finish that and I'll get you a breakfast sandwich or smoothie… hop to it. Don't wanna be late and I can't be late this morning."

"Okay." Diego finished his bowl and plopped it in the sink before running back to his room.

Antonio groaned. "That could've gone in the dishwasher." He poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped as he made his way to the nursery. "Morning." He smiled as Jes was changing Mateo's diaper.

"Morning." Jes grinned. "Where'd you run off to this morning?"

"Gym… I couldn't sleep… didn't wanna keep you up either."

"Well, I got up when you left… the bed got cold."

"Sorry." Antonio blushed. "Uh, so… you need anything today?"

"Nope, I should be okay." Jes slipped a shirt over Mateo's onesie. "Why?"

"Just figured I'd pick anything you needed up… save you from having to get these two in and out of the car in the car seats alone."

"I appreciate that, but we'll be good." She picked Mateo up. "There! Isn't that better?"

Mateo just cooed at her. She placed him in Antonio's arms. "I'm gonna get Jonathan dressed, then I'll be ready for my day."

"Okay, buddy. Let's go see if your big sister and brother are ready to go."

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* * *

Antonio dropped Eva and Diego off after picking them up each a breakfast sandwich and smoothie of their choosing. He pulled into his stall and headed upstairs. He was surprised to see Commander Perry. "Sir? I thought you retired."

"I am." Perry laughed. "Just… waiting for Voight."

"Uh, I don't know if he's in or not yet, sir."

"I'll wait, Dawson. Thanks."

"No problem." Antonio went to his desk and worked through the cases they'd recently closed.

Slowly, they made their way into the bullpen. Jay arrived first, followed by Al, Ruzek and Burgess. Kevin was still on Patrol, therefore in Voight's doghouse for the time being. Antonio looked around. Erin was nowhere in sight.

Jay came over to his desk. "You see Erin yet?"

Antonio shook his head. "No, you?"

"No, and I'm starting to get worried… she's never late."

Antonio nodded. "Send her a text. See what's keeping her."

Voight made his way up into the bullpen and headed straight for the whiteboard. He spun it around to show a bunch of faces and began to explain their latest case. "Alright, so here's the deal. Commander Perry's nephew's caught up with some bad police out in Jackson Park." He pointed at the board. "This is Sergeant Dave Roland and his Narcotics Unit. Over the past year, they've been ripping off drug dealers in their jurisdiction."

Antonio arched an eyebrow towards his boss. A little more than a year ago, Voight had been doing the exact same thing.

"Until last week… when they crossed into our backyard… and robbed a stash house for 200k."

Antonio decided to add a little fact as he sat on the corner of his desk. "I got a buddy from high school… used to work out that way as a sheriff's deputy. He said the motto on the side of the Jackson Park patrol car should read, 'To Steal and Neglect'."

There was a little bit of laughter. Erin walked in at that exact moment. Everyone froze. Erin looked up from her phone and realized that she was very late. "Sorry. Traffic." She looked up and saw Commander Perry. "Sir." She cleared her throat and went to her desk.

Voight stared at her before continuing. "Sergeant Roland used to be CPD. Some of you… may recognize his name. His father was Deputy Chief. He had his son placed in Narcotics straight outta the Academy. Everybody knew he was bad news back then… got jammed up, excessive force charges… Look… before he could get stripped, his old man had him shipped out to Jackson Park to save his career."

Commander Perry went on to explain how his nephew was jammed up in this, despite being a star student at the Academy. Voight took over and explained how it was just a matter of time before Roland's team clued into the fact that Carter wasn't really one of them. It was starting to make sense to everyone. Antonio wondered if Voight was starting to see Roland as the cop he used to be before Intelligence, before he'd been arrested.

Jay asked. "So, how are we gonna play this?"

Voight looked to Erin. "My office." Erin followed Hank into his office, and Hank closed the door.

Jay went to Antonio's desk. "What the hell is all going on?"

"Fuck if I know." Antonio shrugged. "Full moon tonight?"

Jay laughed. "Not for another week."

"Well…"

"Gear up." Voight said emerging from his office. "Be ready to leave when I call… we've got a stash house that can be used… but I gotta get these pricks to take a bite." He shook Commander Perry's hand and headed down the stairs, Al in tow.

Jay and Adam headed to the roll up to do a weapons check. Antonio told Perry they'd let him know as soon as they had something and followed them to the roll up. Kim was already there sorting through comms with Mouse. Antonio went up to Jay. "Hey."

"Hey."

"How much cash you got?"

"On me?" Jay loaded bullets into his clip.

"No… In the bank." Jay arched an eyebrow, so Antonio continued. "I'm looking for a few partners to go in on an investment."

"What do you know about investing?" Jay snapped the clip into place before going to work on his service pistol.

"Zip." Antonio locked his own clip into place. "But I know boxing." Knowing that Jay would want to know what money and boxing had to do with each other. "It's Matador's Gym… you've been there."

"Yeah… the one by P2K."

"The owner and I, Sergeant Hopkins… we go way back. So… he's underwater with the place and needs to sell."

"How much are we talking?"

"100k total. I already talked to Roman… so I figure if we all put in at least 25 for a down payment…"

"Do I look like a Rockefeller to you?" Jay exclaimed.

"Well… whatever you can come up with?" Antonio pleaded. "Look, I can't ask Jes… she's got enough on her plate with the babies… the wedding… everything."

"I get that… look, I'll come with you… take a look… I'll see what I can pitch in." Jay conceded.

Voight came in and explained how the raid was to go down. He also made sure that everyone understood that Carter Perry and Lindsay were both to be cuffed and brought to lock up.

Antonio, and Jay were in the house next to the stash house with Voight. Adam and Al were in Al's car around the corner. They were all there as back-up for Lindsay. Antonio had a bad feeling about this. He didn't know what was going on with Lindsay, but it seemed like she wasn't 100% in the game. He looked over to Jay and could tell he was having similar feelings. He didn't dare voice his opinions because he knew Voight would just tell him to mind his own business and that everything was under control. They listened in closely as Roland and his team, along with Lindsay made entry and began to try and shake down the watchman. Things were starting to get hairy when his kids were dragged into the picture.

"Shit." Jay muttered. He looked to Antonio. They both knew that Erin wouldn't let kids get caught in the crossfire, but that put her and Perry at risk of getting caught.

Things did get worse. Roland was threatening to shoot the watchman's young daughter.

"Let her go." Erin's voice was strong over the comms.

"What are you doin'?" Roland asked.

They knew they were going to have to move. Jay and Antonio thumbed the safety on their weapons. They were ready.

"Let her go!" Erin demanded again.

Roland was taunting her. "What… are you gonna shoot me?"

"We don't do it this way." Erin answered.

"This isn't your show. You step back." Roland was getting more and more threatening.

They could hear a gun cock. They had no line of sight into the house to know who it was. The others on Roland's team were shouting "Where's the money?!"

Erin mustn't have had a choice because a gunshot echoed over the comms and rang out of the house.

"Shots fired!" Voight bellowed. "Everybody move in! Now!"

Jay and Antonio were on point and Jay got to the door first. Antonio nodded as Jay took out the door. "Drop your weapon! Stand down!"

Erin was still shouting at some of the corrupt Jackson Park cops. "I will drop you!"

Al, Adam and Voight had now joined the party. Antonio and Jay had cleared most of the weapons. "Don't move!" Antonio shouted to one of them.

Jay held another against the wall. "Antonio."

Antonio moved in and cuffed that one before handing him off to Atwater and Ruzek who were now also on scene.

Roland tried to get up. "You don't need to do this." He groaned.

Erin had obviously shot him in the vest. He was in pain, but he was going to live. They slapped the cuffs on him and his team, Perry included. "You're under arrest."

Roland looked to Cater Perry. "You rat piece of…"

"Shut up." Voight ordered. "Get him outta here."

Jay, Antonio and the patrolmen were tasked with getting Roland and his team to lock up. Voight joined them later.

"Ow!" Roland exclaimed as Jay shoved him into the cell.

"Awe, you're breaking my heart." Antonio slammed the door. "You'll be shipped down to 26 and Cal. You'll be put into protective custody until the hearing tomorrow." He smirked at them. "Too bad you missed chow. I hear they have great oatmeal over in County though."

Jay grinned and patted the cell door. They turned to leave. Even Voight was smiling.

That was until Roland spoke. "If Carter's the ace up your sleeve, it won't be much of a hearing."

Voight walked back to the cell and glared at Roland, as if to say. "Shut your mouth."

"Hey." Roland smiled. "Ask him about 219 Westlake Terrace."

Voight, not wanting to hear any of this, jabbed Roland in the ribs where the vest had caught Lindsay's round.

"Ahh!" Roland exclaimed, falling back into one of his team.

Voight stormed off. Jay and Antonio looked to each other and shrugged. They had them, whether or not they'd stay in custody… well that was another question.

* * *

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* * *

"Hey, Roman!" Antonio waved at the patrolman. "You done?"

Roman nodded. "Yeah."

"Good, let's go for a ride."

Jay and Roman followed Antonio to his truck. Antonio drove them over to Matador's. They took a tour. Jay noticed that some of the equipment would definitely need some work.

Antonio started. "Sergeant Hopkins sank his last 10k into this place… still needs to get out from under it."

Roman asked. "How long you been coming here?"

"I was 14 when I first walked in on my way home from work."

Jay arched an eyebrow. What job could a 14-year-old kid have back then?

"Well, work…" Antonio laughed. "Work was runnin' dime bags for an SGD named Hard Boy." Antonio pointed to the second floor. "He lived upstairs. He used to slap me around, but… after a few lessons, I showed him. I was at that point, ya know?" Antonio looked around and pointed to a pennant hanging from the rafters. "Fork in the road. Then, this place introduced me to the Police Youth Boxing League. Saved my life… and it can do the same for a lot of other kids."

Jay sighed. Antonio had a point. They were seeing the positive results of Matador's partnership with P2K and keeping kids safe. "Listen, bro… all I can do is 10 grand."

"I can buy in for 5." Roman added.

Antonio sighed. "That's not gonna be enough." He punched the speed bag and sulked out of the gym. He needed to come up with something, and he knew damn well asking Jes for the money was out of the question. She didn't need more stress. He headed back to his truck. Maybe he should pull some money from his 401k.

* * *

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* * *

The next morning, Antonio and Jay were waiting in the bullpen with Burgess and Ruzek. Voight and Olinski were at the Ivory Tower for the hearing concerning Roland and his Narcotics team. Everyone was on edge. If Roland and his team got out, it was going to take a lot more to get them off the streets. They also had to worry about what was going on with Erin.

Jay motioned to Antonio to join him in the staff room. Antonio nodded. He needed coffee. Last night had been another restless night, this time because Mateo kept crying.

"Hey, bro." Antonio said, closing the door behind them.

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"You notice anything off with Erin?" Jay poured two mugs of coffee and handed one to Antonio.

"Other than she's been acting more like Bunny each day?"

Jay groaned. "I was afraid you'd say that."

"Come on." Antonio added cream to his coffee. "She's late… she's partying… she's going off script. That ain't like her."

"How can I fix this?"

"Jay, bro… this isn't something you can fix. This is something only she can fix."

"She needs help."

"I know she does." Antonio put the spoon in the sink and took a sip of the coffee. "But she also needs to see that she needs it and she needs to ask for it."

Jay sighed. He could see through the window that Voight had just gotten in. "Hey, Voight's here."

The two left and headed back to their desks. Jay looked to Voight. "How'd it go?"

Voight sighed. "Well, they hired Joe the Shark as their lawyer. That should give you some idea."

"So, they're gonna walk?" Adam asked.

"For now." Voight's voice almost came out as a growl. "We need to get Carter and Lindsay on record… or we don't have a case."

There were soft footsteps coming up the stairs. Voight looked up and his frown turned to a full on rage face. "Can I help you with something, Bunny?" His voice suggested he wanted to toss her in the river with cinder blocks attached to her feet.

Bunny gave a smile and in a sickly sweet tone, replied. "Oh, I just dropped by to see Erin."

Antonio, sensing the tension in the room got up from his desk and slowly made his way towards Lindsay's desk.

"She's not here." Voight pointed out.

"Oh. Okay, well, I wanna leave something here." She reached into her knockoff bag and pulled out a framed picture of Nadia and Erin. "I had this framed for her. They look like sisters, don't they?"

Voight got right up in her face. "You're sick." He spat.

"I'm sick?" Bunny pretended to sound hurt. "Okay, Hank… tell me… tell me what I did wrong this time."

Voight's face was changing shades of red. "Erin is grieving! She's in a vulnerable space… but that's exactly where you want her, isn't it? Easier for you to get your hooks into her?"

Bunny put her hands on her hips. "You listen to me…"

"Don't ever come back here!" Voight ordered.

Antonio stepped in. "Come on. I'll show you out." He tried to get Bunny to the stairs.

Bunny turned back and pulled away from Antonio. "You know who's sick? You are sick."

"Oh yeah?" Voight laughed.

"They were best friends and you're making this about me?"

Voight looked to Antonio. "Get. Her. Outta. Here!"

Antonio grabbed Bunny's arm and led her downstairs. "Come on. Let's go."

He finally got to the bottom of the stairs and opened the gate to get out. Bunny spun around to face him. "You know he doesn't want me near my daughter?"

"Look, Bunny… whatever family shit you got going on… don't bring it into this District. We have enough real problems to solve, we don't need you adding to it. Now get out of here." He signalled to Roman to escort her from the building. Once she was out of ear shot, Antonio told Atwater to make sure she never stepped foot back in this District. He turned around and headed back upstairs to deal with whatever fallout that was going to happen now.

They continued to work the case throughout the day. They were looking for anything they could use to make the charges against Roland and his team stick. It was around 7 when Ruzek's phone began to ring. "One sec. Uh, hey, Boss?" Ruzek called out.

"Yeah?"

"Commander Perry's on the line."

Voight nodded and headed into his office, closing the door. Adam looked to the others. They all sensed that something was about to go down and it wasn't going to be good. Suddenly, Voight's office door flew open and he rushed out. "Perry's been shot. Roll out! Now!"

The bullpen became chaos as they moved to grab coats, vests and their side arms. They flew after Voight. Upon arriving on scene, they realized just how bad this had gotten. Antonio took a quick moment to let Jes know he wouldn't be home anytime soon and to not wait up for him. Adam, Kim, Kevin and Sean were moving people back away from the scene.

"Oh man." Al said. "This is gonna be a tough one."

Antonio, who had been questioning witnesses, joined the two senior officers. "There were two shooters. Approached on foot."

Jay added. "Spoke to several witnesses who said they were wearing red and black. Hoodies pulled up so nobody got a good look at their faces."

"Red and black?" Antonio said. "Vice Lord colours."

Voight asked. "Carter?"

Antonio pointed to the ambulance that was still on scene. "He's over there."

Voight stomped over and despite the paramedic's protests, hopped in the back and closed the door.

Jay looked to Antonio. "I don't want to be in that kid's shoes right now."

"Nope. And I don't want to be in those bangers' shoes when Voight gets his hands on them either." Al added in. He walked back towards his car. "It's going to be a long night."

They couldn't argue with him. Voight hopped out of the ambo and headed back to join the team. He ordered them back to the District. They were going to have to pull out all the stops to find this guy, Drugstore, with the Latin Kings. Turns out, Commander Perry's shooters had tried to hide their identity by wearing another gang's colours. Antonio went to work on calling CIs, while Jay tried to get a hold of Erin to at least let her know what had just gone down. Jay's phone pinged. It was a text asking him to meet Erin in the rollup.

"Hey, 'Tonio?"

"Yeah?" Antonio looked up from his files.

"I gotta…"

"Yeah, go ahead." Antonio nodded. For now, he was the one leading Intelligence while Voight was trying to sort other stuff out.

 _ **In the roll-up**_ _ **…**_

"We get a location on the shooter yet?" Erin asked Jay.

"Still working on it." Jay answered. He could tell something was wrong. "Hey, everything okay?"

Erin nodded. "I came as soon as I got your message."

"Which one?" Jay asked. "I left three."

Erin tried to brush him off.

"Erin? Erin." He stopped her and grabbed her shoulders. "I'm not your boss. I don't care where you were. But… know that I'm looking out for you. Whatever you got goin' on upstairs… you gotta face it head on."

Erin heaved a sighed. "Thanks."

Jay and Erin headed back upstairs in hopes that they had some information on the shooters. When they arrived, Platt was upstairs. "I just got off the phone with Commander Perry's wife, Jeanette." Plat sighted. "Man retires after 30 years on the job and a few months later, he's gunned down in the street. Anyway… I'll get you all details on the services when I get 'em."

"Thanks, Trudy." Voight patted her shoulder. He knew this was tough on her. In a short amount of time, she'd been made to plan and distribute information for three CPD funeral services. It was hard on her as the Desk Sergeant for this District. He looked to Erin and called her into his office.

Jay went and sat next to Antonio.

"Get anywhere?" Antonio asked.

Jay shook his head. "No fuckin' clue." He ran his hands through his hair. He was going to need a good stiff drink at the end of this.

Antonio made one last call and no sooner had the call ended, he ran to Voight's office. "Hey, reached out to a CI of mine."

Voight motioned to him to hurry up.

"Got a location on this Latin King nicknamed Drugstore."

Hank nodded. "Alright. Round everyone up."

"He's not at his spot in Jackson Park." Antonio said. "He's in the city. Turns out… he's hold up in The Cave."

"That club over on the Westside?" Voight was trying to figure this out.

"Yeah… it's being protected by his uncle, who's high up in the Chicago Kings… This won't be our typical snatch and grab."

"Alright. We'll go in the front door." Voight concluded. They were going to get Perry's killers and they were going to put an end to this. One way or another.

Antonio came up with the plan. There were going to be guards everywhere. The Chicago Kings were old school. They needed a distraction to guarantee that the team could get in and find this Drugstore. Antonio devised a plan in which he'd throw a Maltov cocktail through one of the cars in the parking lot next to the club. The fire and resulting explosion would provide more than enough cover for the others to sneak into the club and get information. They went to vest up and get out there, Antonio changed into all black and slid his vest on under his leather jacket. He wasn't taking any chances tonight. They headed out.

When they got to the club, everyone got into position. On Voight's signal, Antonio through the Maltov through the window and booked it out of the lot. Sure enough, the fire and explosion caused a huge distraction. Jay cut the chains around the back door and the team got in. The music was blaring. They started to clear out the club. Once the main threats were cuffed, Voight and Olinski moved in on Drugstore and another Latin King. They suspected the two were the ones involved in the shooting. Hank grabbed the torch that was next to a couple felonies' worth of drugs. Knowing Drugstore wouldn't talk, he went over to the other. He held him down and lit the torch. He began to question him. When he got no answers, he put the flame to that one. It didn't take long to get him squealing.

"Okay! It was Roland! He made us a deal!"

"What kinda deal?" Voight demanded.

"Roland said he'd put a drug case on us… bury us in Statesville for 20 years. All we had to do was take out that snitch… Carter. He said they'd take care of the other bitch themselves!"

"What bitch?" Voight already knew the answer but he need this proof. "What bitch?!"

"Some lady cop! He said set 'em up."

Voight shoved him to the ground and looked to Jay. He grabbed his cell and dialed Erin. He prayed she'd pick up. She didn't know the level of danger she was in. Jay followed Voight to the Escalade and they hightailed it out of the area towards Erin's apartment in the Loop.

Jay radioed Atwater and Roman. "Atwater. You anywhere near Erin's?"

Atwater radioed back. "Yeah, we're on 14th and Wabash… like 5 minutes out."

"Get over there. Right now." Jay demanded.

Voight floored it. Sirens and lights were going. They didn't know if they'd get there in time.

When they did arrive, Roman had one of the Jackson Park cops in custody. "Atwater's inside."

Jay and Voight ran into the building and headed straight for Erin's apartment.

"Erin!" Jay exclaimed.

"We're okay." She said.

Jay saw another man on the couch. He suspected this was the old boyfriend that Bunny had spoken of.

Voight walked over to Roland's second in command. "Where's Roland?"

"You call me an ambulance yet?" He retorted.

"I said…" Voight pushed his boot into the bullet wound that was on his thigh. "Where's Roland?"

After 5 mintues of screaming, he finally gave up the information and Voight took off. "I'm dealing with this, myself." Was all he told them.

Jay texted Antonio and Al to tell them what had gone down. Antonio replied that they'd meet Voight there to make sure the whole situation didn't get out of hand. They waited outside and soon enough, other patrols and a pair of IAB detectives appeared. Soon Roland was escorted out and put in the back of the patrol car. Voight came out and went to stand next to them.

"It's done?" Al asked.

"Yep. He's cooked." Voight seemed pleased. "At least Commander Perry can rest."

Antonio nodded.

"Yeah… let's get outta here." Jay said. "I've had enough of Jackson Park to last the next century."

* * *

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* * *

The next morning, Antonio had dropped the kids off and headed to the District. He was waiting to hear from the Credit Union to see if his loan request had been approved. If he was denied, he'd have no choice than to take money out of his 401k. He wasn't going to let Matador's disappear. This District needs a place like that for kids to go and be safe. He was figuring out things he could sell for extra money when Voight came up the stairs.

"Hey." Voight said.

Antonio, out of instinct, knew Voight was probably looking for Erin, said. "Don't think she came in."

Voight ignored that answer. "So how are things with Matador's?"

Antonio sighed. "Ah. Well, between me, Halstead and Roman… we only have half of what we need. Um, I put a call into the Credit Union… see about pulling money from my 401k…"

Hank interrupted him. He handed him a brand paper bag. "Courtesy of Jackson Park."

Antonio pulled the contents of the bag out. There was probably close to the full $100,000 needed to buy Matador's in his hands. He looked to Voight. He couldn't take this.

"Hey, Police Youth League… Saved a lot of kids." Hank smiled. "Keep it goin'."

Antonio nodded, speechless. He finally managed to jumble together a thank-you before Hank left again, most likely in search of Erin. He was still in shock when Jay came up the stairs.

"Hey, Antonio."

"Uh, hey."

"What's that?" Jay asked, pointing to the brown bag.

"Uh… money."

"What?" Jay snatched it out of his hand. "How much?"

"You tell me." Antonio leaned back in his chair. He was usually a go by the book kind of a cop, but this time, he was definitely willing to look the other way to guarantee that Matador's stayed open.

Jay counted the piles of cash. "Holy fuck!" He exclaimed. "There's over 100k in here!" He looked around. "Where did this come from?"

Antonio arched an eyebrow. "We're going to call it an anonymous donation." He took the bag back and locked it in his desk. "Whatever's left over, we can use to fix up the place."

"Uh huh." Jay was still in shock. "Yep. Sure… anonymous donation works for me."

They set about their day. Kevin had been reinstated and Adam had finally popped the question to Burgess. Mouse had been made an official member of the team, which meant he'd be around all the time, not just when they needed him. Al had taken the day to deal with 'personal' problems. Knowing Al, that could be anything. They had closed this case, but there were so many more that needed their attention. They went through files as a team to figure which case had the highest priority, at least until Voight came back.

Half an hour later, Voight returned and Erin wasn't with him. He was sulking. Antonio knew that meant Erin wasn't coming in. He watched as Voight took Erin's badge from his pocket and slam it in his desk drawer.

"Damn it!" Voight exclaimed.

Antonio motioned to the others to back off and he went into Voight's office. "Hank."

"Antonio… I don't…"

"No, you need to listen." Antonio said, closing the door. "You did everything in your power to get her to stay on the straight and narrow. We all did." He leaned against Voight's desk. "You can't blame yourself."

"I can… I do." Voight collapsed into his chair. "I've been keeping her safe for half her life… and now… she's throwing it all away."

Antonio could feel his Sergeant's pain. "Hank… she's a grown woman… We can't make her do things that she doesn't want to… or isn't ready to accept."

"I could've done something… to stop all this."

"Voight… the only way this could've been stopped was sending Yates to the bottom of the Lake after we caught him the first time." Antonio said. "Bunny isn't helping."

"Damn straight she isn't!" Voight pounded his fist on the desk. "She's the reason Erin went back to old habits."

"Sarge… until Erin comes to her senses and realizes that she's better than Bunny… all we can do is wait and be here for her when she comes back." Antonio patted his shoulder. "Trust me… I've been there… It won't be easy, but we have to believe that she'll wake up and smell the coffee to come back where she belongs… and tell Bunny where to shove it."

"I get my hands on Bunny Fletcher ever again, she will end up at the bottom of the Chicago River… and I don't care."

Antonio nodded and left Hank to his thoughts. He could see Jay was anxious to know what had happened. He told him to follow him to the locker room.

"What the hell's going on?" Jay asked. "Where's Erin?"

"You might wanna sit." Antonio suggested.

"Antonio… what the fuck is going on around here!?"

"Erin quit."

"She WHAT?!" Jay exclaimed.

"She quit. She gave Voight her badge. She claimed she was bad luck… born into bad news… so that's it… she's made her choice."

"Her choice is becoming BUNNY?!" Jay punched the wall, leaving a decent dent in the drywall.

"Jay, bro… Voight tried everything… short of kidnapping Erin, there's nothing we can do."

"Then… we do that." Jay concluded. "We kidnap her and keep her until she comes to her senses."

"Jay!" Antonio grabbed him by the shoulders. "Do you hear yourself?"

Jay slid down the wall to the floor. His shoulders shaking as he wept. "Antonio… what do I do?"

Antonio knelt in front of him. "I don't know… Bro… but, we will get her back… she just needs time."

Jay nodded. He felt lost. Erin had been his partner for so long and now, she was gone.

"Look, don't be alone tonight… come over, spend time with the kids… Jes… maybe she has some motherly advice she can give you."

Jay laughed softly. "Yeah… yeah… uh thanks, 'Tonio."

"Anytime." Antonio got up and went to leave. "Maybe talk to Voight or Platt about taking some extra furlough… come to the prairies… clear your head."

"Yeah… I think I will." Jay whispered. "Can… can I be alone for a bit?"

"Yeah." Antonio patted his shoulder and left the locker room.

For all the good that had happened, this is torn everything and everyone to pieces.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was going over some of the paperwork that had been brought home from P2K. She had to file a report concerning how it was going with the city before she left. The boys were sleeping. Diego and Eva had gone over to Alec Willhite's to babysit Emmy and Liam. It was eerily quiet for her. She conceded and turned on the radio to have some noise. She was lost in the final edit of her report when Antonio came home. She never heard him come in or sneak up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and Jes jumped out of the chair.

"Jesus Christ!" She exclaimed. "Antonio! When did you get home?"

"Just now." He snickered. "Jumpy?"

"I'm alone with twins in a very quiet house. I suddenly miss our noisy and slightly destructive older children."

"Where are they?"

"Alec needed a sitter. Eva said she'd go… and I guess Liam asked if Diego could come too… so."

"Ah, well… that's good." Antonio kissed her. "Sorry for startling you."

"I'll live." Jes sighed. "So, everything okay at the District?"

Antonio filled her in on the events of the day starting with the good news. "Well, Kevin's back in Intelligence… and Ruzek popped the question to Burgess."

"What!?" Jes exclaimed. "That's great news!"

"Yep." Antonio smiled. "So, another wedding… and Kevin can give Jacquie some good news when he gets up there in a couple weeks."

"She'll be more than thrilled." Jes confirmed. "Anything else?"

"Umm…" Antonio didn't know how to break this next piece of news. "Erin… quit."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Erin didn't come in this morning… So, after Voight gave me the money to buy Matador's…"

"Buy what now?" Jes was lost.

"Oh. Right." Antonio hadn't told her anything about buying a boxing gym. "I bought Matador's to keep it in the community."

"And Hank lent you the money?"

"Uh… no… it… it's better if you don't know what happened there. Just know that it's there to keep the kids safe… and it's a good workout for other people too."

"Okay… so back to Hank… after he gave you the money."

"After he gave me the money, he went to look for Erin. He found her… and she quit. Gave him her badge and Bunny told him that Erin was with 'family' now."

"Hank must be fuming."

"I don't think fuming describes it properly, but it's the closest thing I can think of."

"Hmm." Jes sighed. "Wait… does Jay know?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah. I told him."

"How'd he take it?"

"They have to re-drywall the locker room." Antonio said. "He's pissed off and hurt. He feels like he failed her. The same way Hank does."

"But it's neither of their fault!" Jes was upset. "They can't blame themselves. She's a grown woman! She made the choice… not them."

"I told them both that… but they're not really in the listening mood."

"Oh boy."

"Yeah. So, Jay's going to be coming to Alberta with us… extra furlough… clear his head kind of a deal… and he's coming over tonight."

"I'll talk to him." She agreed. "I haven't made supper yet though."

"What's with all this paperwork? I thought you were on Mat Leave?"

"I am, but I still have to file a report with City Council to express how well P2K has been working so far."

"Ah." Antonio laughed. "Okay, well… I'll make supper… you need a break."

"Does you making supper mean we're having pizza?"

Antonio feigned hurt. "Oh, ye of little faith!" He grinned. "I'll grill up some steaks, corn… make some potatoes and salad."

"Ah! An iron filled supper?"

"Why not?"

"No… I like that… I'm gonna go check on the boys."

"They're asleep. I checked on them before coming to see what you were up to."

"Oh." Jes sounded disappointed. "Okay, well… back to the report I go then…"

"You'll be fine." Antonio kissed her again.

* * *

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* * *

Jay came over and was surprised to learn that the two older Dawson children were out. He took some time to go in the living room and read to Jonathan and Mateo. Jes finished her report and prepped the materials to back it up. Once everything was in order, she went to check on Jay. She couldn't help but feel his pain. While there was a smile on his face because of the twins, she knew he was hurting bad. She sighed and headed out to the deck to see how Antonio was doing with supper.

"Hey, babe." He smiled as he finished seasoning the steaks before laying them on the heated grill.

"Hey."

"All done?"

"Yep. I'm going to be handing that off to City Council tomorrow morning."

"Something's bothering you." He closed the lid of the BBQ and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Jay's hurting, and I can't fix it." Jes whispered. "He always fixed things for me… all these years… and now… I can't help him."

Antonio pulled her in close and whispered back. "I think just being here, and listening to him is going to help."

"I want to bitch slap some sense into Erin's thick skull." Jes mumbled.

"I know… pretty sure that's what we all would like to do, but baby, it doesn't work that way."

"I know." Jes heaved a heavy sigh. "Do you think Will knows?"

Antonio shrugged. "No clue. If Jay didn't tell him, I don't think anyone did."

"Should I call him?"

"Maybe." Antonio kissed her cheek. "He might be able to help get through to him."

Jes nodded. "I'll go call him now… don't burn my steak."

"I don't burn steak." Antonio said, offended.

"I also don't want it still mooing on my plate." She smirked as she headed back into the house to call her oldest brother.

Antonio watched as she left. He knew now, that for the first time, Jes was feeling the burden that Jay must have been feeling for the last few years when it came to her. The roles were reversed. He had been there a year ago. Gaby had told him to take the chance on Jes, whereas he'd always been there to give her advice on relationships. He didn't know what to say. He just hoped that Will would be able to come and the three Halsteads would be able to work something out. He couldn't bear to see Jes like this, or see his friend like this either. He flipped the steaks and quickly went inside to finish the salad. He went, got the steaks and called them to dinner. Something had to go their way soon. Their lives couldn't always be the poorest hand in the card game. He set out the food on the table and just prayed for his family.

A week passed by. Jay had more or less moved into the guestroom. He'd go to work and go home to spend time with the kids. Jes worried that he was becoming a drone in that sense. Antonio and Will took turns trying to talk to him. Jes pleaded to Mouse to try and get Jay to wake up and come back to them. No one was succeeding. Jay needed something stronger. Jes knew just who to talk to. She asked Eva to watch the twins and grabbed her coat. Dr. Charles might be able to give her some insight into how she could help her brother.

* * *

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"So, you're saying that there's not much I can do?" Jes was defeated.

"Not exactly. See, Jeslyn… Psychology… our emotions… they don't get diagnosed the same way a broken leg would. There's no 100% guarantee that what a person is feeling or how they're acting is a very specific psychological condition." Dr. Charles explained. "When you went through all that trauma with Yates… you felt like you had to close yourself off. You didn't want anyone to feel your pain… remember?"

Jes nodded. "How can I forget?"

"What did I recommend to you to do?"

"To open up when I was ready… to let myself accept what had happened, before letting anyone else in." The lightbulb went off. "Oh."

Dr. Charles nodded. "Jay… has been on his own for a long time. Has served in the Army Rangers… seen war… worked at a Detective… seen co-workers get killed… friends…"

"Erin quitting is another blow to him… and because he was still dealing with the… oh."

"You got it." Dr. Charles smiled. "He needs to be able to come to terms with this loss, if you will, on his own. Trying to force him… it will only result in failure and potentially disaster."

"Thank you. I really appreciate you taking this time… I just… Jay's always been there for me. He's always helped me… I just want to be able to do the same for him."

"Being the youngest is hard, isn't it?"

"Harder than I ever could've thought." Jes stood up. "Thank you. I'm… I'm gonna take this and I'm going to just wait until Jay is ready to talk."

"Good plan." Dr. Charles smiled. "And, you leave in a couple days, right?"

Jes nodded. "One more sleep."

Dr. Charles laughed. "Have you thought about what we talked about last time?"

"I have… I'm going to talk to Antonio about my worries. Hopefully tonight, providing another case doesn't come up."

"You'll be fine… just remember communication is key to all relationships and in some cases… we have to wait until the other person is ready for that communication to happen." Dr. Charles got up and shook her hand. "All the best on your trip. And congratulations on the upcoming wedding. I look forward to seeing you when you come back. If you ever need anything, text me… I'll help."

"Thank you again, Dr. Charles." Jes hugged him and headed home.

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 _ **A/N: Well, this was the fastest chapter I've written in a long time. A lot of stress the last couple days**_ _ **…**_ _ **I've discovered that quite a few of the students I work with are entitled little brats who think they run the classroom. Thank goodness for a break coming up in the next couple days. Let me know what you think of this chapter.**_

 _ **You may notice that some of the dialogue is word for word from the season 2 episode, "Born Into Bad News". That dialogue belongs to Dick Wolf and the writers/producers of Chicago PD. I just needed to use it to add body to this chapter. Bright point: Wedding coming up! Yay! Lots of love, Nicole!**_


	41. The Thunder Rolls

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Antonio was so thankful that the trip back up to Alberta had been uneventful. The twins had cried on the initial take-off and landing, but considering they were only 2 and a bit months old, that was to be expected. They were also being kept busy with their grandparents and Jay. Diego and Eva watched the in-flight movies. Jes had brought her iPad to read. When Antonio had asked her why she wanted to read on the plane, Jes had answered, "I haven't been able to read since the boys were born, I'd like to read and catch up on my books before the new season starts on TV." Antonio just laughed. He knew that the next month would fly by. Jes had decided to postpone their family trip until the next summer. She had said that it was better to go in the late spring or early summer to get the best experience. Antonio wasn't going to argue. He didn't know what the plan was. They would stay for a couple weeks, go back to Chicago and then fly back up for the Canadian Thanksgiving. Jes wanted to be up when Jacquie was due. Antonio had already cleared it with Hank. His parents were most likely coming up as well. The kids had been surprised to know that Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving so much sooner than the Americans.

"Do they have Black Friday there too?" Eva had asked.

Jes' response was joined by laughter. "Our Thanksgiving falls on a Monday… we do end up with Black Friday sales, but after the American Thanksgiving… when the sales are on there too."

Eva had been a little disappointed. Diego didn't care. He was looking forward to the idea of two Thanksgivings. Antonio was thankful that his mother had volunteered to come up right away to help watch the kids while Jes and he finished the details for the wedding.

The plane was now docked at the airport and it was time to disembark. Antonio grabbed the carry-ons from the overhead bins, while Jes took Mateo from Constanza. Jay took Jonathan and they headed out. Once in the airport, they made their way through security. It went much faster this time as Jay and Antonio had decided to leave their guns at home. They didn't plan on or expect trouble this time around. Once through, they were greeted by Damien and Vinessa.

Vinessa ran towards them and hugged Eva and Diego tightly. "I missed you guys!"

The kids were excited and gabbing amongst themselves. Jes hugged Damien. "How's Jacquie?"

"Uh, well… depends on the day… right now, Meg is driving her nuts about baby details."

"Oh boy." Jes sighed. "Did you bring the Jeep?"

Damien nodded. "Yeah. We brought it and I arranged another vehicle for Jay to use… and I guess, I'll ride back with him and the older kids?"

Antonio laughed as he shook Damien's hand. "Yeah… turns out babies need a lot of stuff."

"Don't I know, Jacquie, Meg and Vinessa have gone baby shopping since they got back here and oh Lord… I don't remember you girls needing that much stuff when you were babies."

"Times change." Jes sighed.

"Well, I personally think some of this stuff is ridiculous, but I'm not the one raising the baby, so… anyhow… let's get going. I know you wanted to settle in before heading to the Heritage Festival."

Jes nodded. "Thanks Damien… and, I really appreciate everything you've done for me… it means a lot… to have extended family like you."

He hugged her. "Any time." He took the carry on from her arms. "I already set up the car seats. You're all set." He handed her the keys. "We'll see you back at the farm."

Jay handed Jonathan, to Antonio. They then watched as Jay, the kids and Damien headed to a different parking lot to pick up Jay's vehicle. Constanza followed Antonio and Jes to her Jeep. They got the twins in their car seats and headed out to the farm.

Constanza flooded Jes with questions about growing up here. She wondered about the farm life and how Jes had dealt with the transition from a small town to the big city.

"Mami… te amo but Jes can't answer your questions if you don't let her catch her breath between each question… plus, we're here until mid-September, you have time."

"Hijo, enough… I can ask my future daughter things. I don't get to ask her about her… generally speaking, we always talk about the kids… I'd like to know her… as a person."

"She has a point, Antonio." Jes smiled. She went on to tell her future mother-in-law about her childhood on the farm and the many skills her father insisted she learn for the future.

"Your father was a wise man, Jeslyn. You're a strong woman because of what he taught you."

"Thank you, Mami." Jes smiled. They continued the drive, talking about everything from the average weather at this time of the year to the Heritage Festival they'd be attending this weekend.

In less than an hour they arrived back at Jes' farm. They unloaded everything. Jay and Constanza would be staying in the main farm house with Antonio, Jes and the kids. Jacquie and Vinessa had been in the guest house while her parents built a small guest house on their part of the property. Once people started coming in for the wedding, Jacquie and Vinessa would be able to move into the small guest house that Damien was building.

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"That Heritage Festival was so amazing!" Diego was still talking about the event from 2 weeks ago.

Jes just laughed. "I'm really glad you liked it, Diego… maybe we'll try to make it a family trip every year."

"Really?" Diego turned to his father. "Could we?"

"Don't see why not. This place is going to be as much a part of our family as Chicago… I think it's a great idea."

Diego exclaimed. "You guys are the best!" He hugged both parents before taking off down the stairs to leave the house. "I have to go tell Vinessa."

Antonio looked to Jes. "Do you find it odd that he always wants to do things with Vinessa?"

Jes looked up from the lunch she was preparing. "Not really. Think about it, she comes straight to P2K after school every day… Diego is at P2K all the time. They spend equal amount of time between our place and Kevin's."

"You sure there's nothing else?"

"Antonio, they're 10 years old. What else could it possibly be?"

Antonio scratched his chin. "I don't know… maybe I'm just trippin'."

"Antonio, are you worried that Diego likes Vinessa?"

Antonio's eyes bulged. "You just said they're 10."

"They are 10." Jes laughed. "You're becoming paranoid. Just wait until Eva is interested in dating."

Antonio cringed. "Nope. Not going there."

"You don't have much of a choice… she's 16 next July."

"Why do they grow up so fast?"

"They're kids… They grow up… same way we all did."

"Antonio was always that way." Jay's voice came from the doorway. "How's things going?"

"Antonio thinks that Diego has feelings for Vinessa."

"Really?" Jay faced his future brother-in-law.

Antonio just drank some water.

"Well, they're only 10… so there's really nothing you should be worried about."

"Is that what you thought when you put Jes under my protection?"

Jay glared at him. "That's not the same thing."

"Pretty sure you thought that your friend and partner was a safer bet to not fall for your sister than some of the other members of your team." Jes hopped in. "Don't forget, you flipped out on him."

Jay changed the subject back to Diego and Vinessa. "Are you worried about having to deal with Kevin?"

"I'm not going there… let's just get through the next couple weeks."

"You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Jes asked.

Antonio wrapped his arms around her waist. "Not a chance in hell. September 4 can't get here fast enough."

Jes turned her head and kissed his cheek. "Good. Just checking."

"Sometimes, I wonder about you two." Jay shook his head. "It's almost as if you've known each other for a lifetime."

"Jay, when you find **the one** , you'll be like this too." Jes grinned. "Lunch is almost ready."

"I'm not into this whole PDA thing you guys got going on." Jay said before taking a swig of his Pepsi. "Please tell me I'm not going to have to deal with a tonne of this mushiness the day of the wedding?"

Jes shrugged. "Don't know… never gotten married before." She put the pot of soup on counter. "Okay… lunch… could one of you please call the kids in?"

Jay headed to the door to go out and find the kids. Jes and Antonio had gotten them all the supplies to build a fort out in the windbreak. Jay had been helping them as had Damien. Kevin had come in a couple days prior and he was alternating between helping Jacquie, when she'd let him, and the kids with the fort. Antonio dialed the guest house to let everyone know that lunch was served. Jes had insisted on doing all the cooking for everyone leading up to the wedding. This hadn't sat well with Constanza initially, but she came around when it meant that she got to spend more time with all of her grandchildren.

Antonio set the table and waited for people to come in. He looked to Jes. "Jay isn't used to seeing a lot of displays of affection, is he?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope. His parents never showed those signs and they were divorced by the time I came around. I don't think the military allows for PDA anyhow."

"Hell no." Antonio snorted. "That happened, you'd have been reprimanded every which way from Sunday."

"That's what I thought." Jes began to ladle out the soup. "He's just going to have to accept that I'm not that 14-year-old girl anymore."

"True." He put the salad bowl on the table with a variety of dressings. "Hey, did Eva ever tell you why she didn't want her Quinceñera on her birthday?"

Jes nodded. "She didn't tell you?"

Antonio shook his head. "No. I found it odd… but I wasn't about to push her for an explanation."

Jes put the last bowl at the place settings. "She did… tell me, that is."

"Care to share?"

"She said she didn't want to add all the stress before the wedding… and that she wanted her friends to be able to all come, but because of when her actual birthday is… she knew not many of them would've been able to come." Jes wrapped her arms around him. "She also didn't want to show off her bridesmaid dress before the wedding."

"There's more to that isn't there?"

"She was worried that it would cost you a lot of money." Jes whispered.

"Hmmm… well… we still have to plan it." Antonio sighed.

"We will… I already asked her for a date that works best and booked P2K for it."

"You amaze me… don't you have enough to worry about with the wedding?"

"It's planned. We just have to enjoy the next two weeks before the big day… have my brothers or your brother tried to talk you into a bachelor's party?"

"They have… I'm just not so sure I can survive another one… I barely survived my first one."

Jes arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"I'm not a spring chicken anymore… plus… what the hell is the point of getting so wasted I don't remember it?"

"So you don't want one?" Jes knew that either way, she didn't have to worry about him.

"Not particularly. Are you having a bachelorette?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope. You know as well as I do, that I don't drink that much and I hate bars… especially around here. Not to mention that my matron of honour is pregnant." She paused. "I did have an idea though."

"Shoot."

"What if we had a huge BBQ, all our friends and family can come and mingle. It would give a chance for everyone to meet and get to know one another before the wedding."

"That sounds like a plan." Antonio kissed her cheek. "This way, everyone can participate and we don't have to have our friends and family spend a fortune on parties we won't remember in the morning."

Their train of thought was cut off as their family came into the house to eat.

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The wedding was officially a week away. Gaby had come in the night before to help finalize the last-minute details, as well as to help keep the kids occupied. Jes was starting to feel the anxiety and nerves. She knew her feelings for Antonio and their family would never change, but she still worried that he may change his mind. Well, that wasn't really it, she was worried about their wedding night. Her mind was going a mile a minute on that subject. While she had spoken to Dr. Charles about it, she was still very anxious. She hadn't been able to talk to Antonio about that subject since their return from New York. She needed to talk to someone, but she didn't know who. She didn't want to make things more awkward for Gaby, and Jacquie had enough on her plate with moving into the guest house her father had built her. She also wasn't about to ask her future mother-in-law about it. She settled on putting the twins down for their nap and taking out her painting equipment. She'd sit down and paint for a while. Painting generally calmed her down and allowed her to focus. She was completely lost in her landscape when Antonio came onto the veranda.

Antonio watched as she painted brush strokes of the incoming storm. He knew something was bothering her, but he didn't know what it was. He had asked Gaby and Jacquie, but neither of them knew what was going on with her. He didn't know how to ask her. Whatever it was, it had been bugging her since New York. He leaned against the house and continued to watch her. Her artistry was prevalent. She added minor details to the painting. He didn't want her to think he was just staring at her, so he headed back into the house to finish planning what they would be having to buy for this Saturday.

Between tonight and Saturday morning, everyone else would be arriving. They needed to finish getting the house cleaned as well as stocking the guest house. Finally, they needed to finish making the table arrangements for the reception. Jes had insisted on a DIY type reception. She hadn't wanted to spend a fortune on the small stuff, so they were making their own arrangements and decorations. The kids were loving it, and even Jay had gotten in on it. Both Jes and Antonio were thankful for that. Jay was finally starting to come around after the fallout with Erin.

Antonio finished the list of groceries they'd need and put it on the counter. Jes always double checked everything so they wouldn't have to make multiple trips to the store. He sighed. The wedding was a week away and now he was getting anxious. He had been nervous the first time but this time it was different. This time, his bride had been through hell in the time leading up to this. He didn't want to hurt her or push her into something she wasn't comfortable with, but at the same time, he still hoped to have a normal wedding night. He just didn't know if it was possible because they hadn't been intimate since the attacks. _'Maybe I should call Dr. Charles.'_ He thought.

Antonio had spent some good couple hours on the phone with Dr. Charles. In the end, his recommendation was to sit down with Jes and talk it out. Antonio had asked how to bring it up, and Dr. Charles' advice was just to have it be the two of them and just be honest and open with each other. He had talked to Jay and Gaby already to take the kids out for the evening to a movie. He'd even given them the timeframe that they had to be out of the house for. He peeked out the window and saw that Jes was still painting. He was going to make her a nice meal and then they'd be able to talk. He hoped, anyhow.

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Jes had painted the coming storm. She knew it was going to be a big one. The clouds were the deepest black and the lightning was beginning to flash. She finished the silhouettes then looked at her watch. "Shit!" She exclaimed. She didn't realize it was so late. She packed up her painting supplies and easel and headed back into the house.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what Antonio had prepared for her. There were candles on the table and a small bouquet of the wild flowers that had been growing in the flower bed. "Oh!"

Antonio turned and smiled. "Hey, baby."

Jes put down the painting supplies and went to hug him. "You did all this?"

Antonio nodded. "You deserve a break."

"But… what about the kids… and your mom?"

"All taken care of. Jay and Gaby took the kids to a movie and dinner in the city. Mom's got the twins in the guest house… Kevin's keeping Jacquie preoccupied… so you and I get some time to ourselves."

Jes didn't know what to say. While this was the most romantic thing that had happened since the twins were born, she didn't know what to expect… or what Antonio was expecting from tonight. "Wow."

Antonio put the pan he was holding down and wrapped his arms around her. "Baby, is everything okay?"

Jes nodded. "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

"You've been… kinda distant… ever since we came back from New York." He said softly.

"Just… gotta keep busy." She said hastily. She really didn't want him to know that she was avoiding this exact conversation. She tried to pull away, but Antonio was stronger than she was. "Antonio."

"Jeslyn… I'm not blind. I'm also not stupid. I've noticed the changes… you're distant… there are times I touch you and you cringe."

Jes whimpered. "Antonio… please… It's…"

"I know what it is." Antonio tilted her chin up. "It's because of what he did… because of everything you had to live through again."

"How?"

"I'm not stupid, remember?" He smiled. "I study people… it's part of my job… but Jes… we're getting married in exactly a week. We can't keep beating around the bush and hiding from this."

"What exactly are we hiding from?"

"Intimacy… sex… whatever you want to call it… we haven't been intimate since just before the twins were born… that was in April…"

"Antonio… I… I'm scared." Jes blurted. "I'm scared again… it's as if I'm back to being that girl you met last year… the girl who knew nothing."

"Jeslyn… you don't need to know anything… I think… I think you're worried about my perception of you."

Jes rested her head against his chest and nodded. "I'm scared you won't want me anymore… in that way… because of what he did."

Antonio just rested his head on hers. "Jeslyn Halstead, you get those thoughts out of your head. Okay? I love you… no matter what. We're getting married. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because of what he did to me… because I'm not…" Jes broke down into tears. "Because I'm not beautiful anymore… because… be… hic… because he rui… ruined me." Her sobs were broken up by the fit of hiccups that had now overcome her.

Antonio wouldn't have this. He remembered what Dr. Charles had told him; that Jes was still reeling from the attack even though it was almost 5 months back. "Jeslyn… shh… Jeslyn… mi amor…" He whispered softly. "There is nothing that could take away from your beauty or my love for you… No one… not Yates… not the Cartel… not Jacquie's brother… not a single human being can take away who you are to me. Ever. You need time to heal, but you can't heal if you're hiding away from the world because you think I won't love the woman you are." He lifted her chin and kissed her deeply. "You're the only person who makes me feel whole, the only person who can see deep into me and know just how to make my day… You… Jeslyn… you and only you."

Jes' sobs of fear stopped. Her eyes, still glistening with tears, looked up into his. "You mean that?"

"Always… and forever." He kissed her again. He then gently wiped away the tears that streaked her cheeks. "I will always love you… nothing changes that… but I can't force you to heal… I won't push you to do something you're not ready for."

"Antonio… I want our lives to be normal again… or, well as normal as they can be with our situation… I want to love you again… the whole aspect of love, not just cuddling and a kiss here or there. I need to feel that love again, but I'm terrified that it'll hurt… or that, it won't be the same because of how he violated me."

Antonio pulled out a chair, sat on it and pulled her into his lap. "Jeslyn…"

She could feel the chills go up her spine every time he said her name that way.

"I know what that monster did to you… I saw… everything… I won't let that ruin this. He can't take anything else away from you or me… or anyone else. Do you trust me?"

She nodded. "Always."

"Good, then trust me when I say that there isn't a day that goes by that I worry about you… or how you feel… or how this is all going to work… I worry that you're bottling everything up… and I'm worried that I'll lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere, Detective." She whispered. She let her feelings and her love for him take control. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeply and passionately.

"Good." He held her close. Neither of them had felt this passion, this fire, in months. It was invigorating. Both were lost in the heat of the moment. Antonio knew that if they kept going like this, his plans were going to backfire, so he slowly pulled back. "Jes, I actually have a plan… and I want to keep going here, so… let's hit pause… eat supper and then pick this back up."

Jes' cheeks were burning and filled with colour. "I… I think I can manage that." She smiled. "I haven't felt that in so long. I missed it."

"I did too, baby… but we just have to take this one day at a time… one step at a time and we'll get there." He said as he gently rubbed her back. "So, I made a special treat."

"You cooked all this?" Jes looked at the spread.

"It wasn't that hard. I remembered how much you loved the Chicken Scampi from the Olive Garden… and their salad and their breadsticks… so I tried to replicate it for you." He grinned. "I may not be the chef you are, but I think it turned out pretty good."

"It smells delicious." Jes kissed his cheek. "Thank you… it means a lot… for, you know… for you to understand."

"I've been trying to find a way to talk to you about it for weeks now… and I didn't know how to bring it up… or when… So… I called Dr. Charles… asked him for advice."

Jes arched an eyebrow. "You called my shrink for advice?"

"I didn't ask about your sessions… I asked him as a… well, I guess I could say patient… as to how I could handle this. I wasn't kidding. I've been worrying about this stuff ever since the twins were born. He said that we needed to talk before our wedding night, otherwise… well, he said it could've been a disaster."

Jes sighed. "Well, I've been asking him similar questions for the last few weeks, myself… but he said I needed to feel comfortable in my own skin again before I could talk to you."

"So, do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Feel comfortable in your own skin?" Antonio touched his forehead to hers.

"No… I don't think I'll ever feel the way I did before Yates… but I do know that I can't be worried about how I look to you… because you've seen me at my worst… you've treated the wounds as they healed, both physical and psychological… so I do trust you… and I know, in time, we will get through all of this."

"Good." He kissed her. "Now let's eat." Jes nodded and hopped off his lap. She was going to go and put the art stuff away, but Antonio waved her off. "I've got it. You sit, and enjoy that nice glass of wine."

Jes was still in shock. Not only did he love all of her, he was pampering her. She would've never imagined this in her wildest dreams. She took the aforementioned wine and took a sip. It was crisp but not too dry. She watched Antonio move around the kitchen. She never would've thought it was possible to find a man who loved her as much as Antonio Dawson. She felt blessed.

Antonio served up two plates of salad and pulled the breadsticks from the oven. "I really hope this tastes good. The recipe was a little more complicated that I would have thought." He put the bread on the table and placed her portion of salad in front of her. He sat at his place and took his glass of wine. "To us…"

"Always and forever." She tapped her glass against his.

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After supper, Antonio tidied up the kitchen and then the two went for a walk outside.

"Those clouds look pretty vicious." Antonio pointed out.

Jes nodded. "Yep. They're coming in fast and their rolling… we're in for one heck of a storm tonight."

"How bad?"

Jes pointed to the trees. "See the leaves, they're almost flipped? My grandpa always told me that it meant we were in for a wicked one." She shivered. "And with the way the temperature's dropping, I wouldn't be surprised if we got hail."

"You can tell all that by just the leaves on a tree and the temperature?" Antonio could feel the chill in the air.

"Yep. Sometimes, by the time a severe storm warning gets issued out here, the storm's already on us… so Dad and Pépère taught me to know the signs… so I'd always be ready."

"How bad do storms get out here?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Tornado bad." Jes cringed. "We always get small ones here and there throughout the province, but Edmonton's been hit by a huge one back in '87."

"You weren't even born yet." Antonio did the math.

"Nope… but I'll never forget hearing about it my whole life. Pépère was so scared of doing harvest that year."

"Why?" Antonio kept an eye on the sky. Tornadoes were bad news, no matter where you lived.

"So, it was a bad storm… then a funnel cloud was spotted, south of the airport… and well… it developed into a tornado… an F4… to be specific."

Antonio stopped. "A what?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah… it was huge… and it destroyed over 300 homes… it was one of 8 tornadoes that touched down that day, but it was the worst one. I guess the sky was so green, that it could be seen in towns 4 hours from here. It hit Refinery Row and the Evergreen Trailer Park… 27 people were killed, hundreds injured… and to top it all off, there are still people reported missing from this."

"Jesus Christ."

"Yeah. Debris from there was found all the way up here… my Pépère was terrified that they'd find a body when they did harvest that year."

"Are we at risk?"

Jes shrugged. "Dunno. The weather has been so weird here this summer. I'm worried that the weather has been ideal."

"Do you have tornado warning systems?"

"Now we do… back then, no… the province developed them after that tornado."

"So, how would we know?"

"Remember you asked why I keep that weird red radio by the window?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah."

"That's a weather radio… it picks up the warnings directly from Environment Canada."

Antonio looked to the sky. "Should we warn Jay and the kids?"

Jes sighed. "Probably… but I don't want to freak them out…"

"Hmm." Antonio didn't want that either. "Okay you call, give him the heads up… and maybe tell him how to get to safety?"

"When is the movie supposed to be done?" Jes asked.

"Around 9… then they were all supposed to crash in the guest house… give us some privacy…"

Jes knew where Antonio was headed with the rest of that thought. She wanted it too. "Okay… let's call him and go from there… the guest house has a cellar so they'd be safe… you call your mom… let her know?"

Antonio nodded and they headed back into the house. As the door closed behind them, rain began to fall.

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Antonio hung up the phone with his mother, shaking his head. "You tell her that it's just a weather watch and she blows it out of proportion."

"What did she say?"

"Oh, just that she, Jacquie, Kevin and the twins will be in the cellar until the storm passes. She doesn't want to take any chances."

Jes snickered. "I'm taking tornadoes aren't a common occurrence in Chicago or the Dominican?"

Antonio shook his head. "Nope. I know Chicago could get one, you know… but I've never seen one yet."

"Well, Jay knows the drill… he's not going to tell the kids yet, but he's going to let Gaby in on it… so they can be ready. They're headed back here now, so they'll probably join the others in the cellar."

"I doubt something will actually happen." Jes said. "There haven't been any warnings or watches… other than the thunderstorm one itself."

"Still, better safe than sorry." Antonio quoted his mother.

"You know you sound exactly like Mami when you say that." Jes snickered.

"Oh! I do, do I?" Antonio dropped his phone on the table and chased her around the kitchen.

Jes squealed as Antonio caught up to her and began to tickle her. "Stop!"

"Why?" Antonio asked. "It's fun."

"I… I can't breathe…" Jes was laughing too hard. "No fair!"

Antonio swept her into his arms. "All's fair in love and war." He kissed her as a flash of lightning lit up the sky and thunder shook the house. Antonio broke the kiss. "Wow."

"Wow is right." Jes giggled. "Antonio… can… please…"

"Just say it, babe." He sucked on her earlobe.

"Make love to me." Her voice barely a whisper. "Please."

"As you wish." He carried her to the living room and laid her down on the rug that was in front of the fireplace. He slowly pulled her top off and gently kissed each inch of skin as he exposed it.

Jes moaned as she felt his lips on her skin. "Oh… Antonio…"

"Jes… baby… God, you're beautiful." He tossed the shirt aside as thunder crashed again. He pulled her capris down and tossed them with the shirt. He slid his hand under her underwear and gently stroked the moist heat that was between her legs. "Baby… you're all wet."

Jes nodded. "Mhmm… I need you… Antonio… bad." Her breath hitched on every word as Antonio fingered her. Her hands quickly undid his belt and jeans. She pushed them down as Antonio's other arm was busy holding him up over her. "Please… An…Antonio!" She arched up as his thumb made its way across her clit.

"Yeah, baby… I love that…" He kissed her.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and arms around his neck. "Love me, Antonio."

Antonio leaned back so that Jes straddled him. He was rock hard and pulsing. "Whatever you want, babe…" He gently pushed his hips up until he was deep in her. "Oh… Jes… oh…"

Jes took this as a sign to slowly move her hips. For the first time in a long time, they were one, joined by the passion that had brought them together in the first place. She was close. Her body arched as she clamped down around him tightly. "Antonio!" She cried out as her body was overcome by orgasm.

Antonio wasn't far behind her. He buried his head against her neck and moaned as he filled her. "Jes… oh… Baby…" He pulled her tight against him as they both collapsed in ecstasy.

They just laid there in silence, listening to the sound of their own ragged breathing and the pouring rain against the roof. They couldn't have had a more perfect night. It had been something that was so desperately needed. They needed to find each other again, to love each other fully again. As thunder crashed and rain poured, they fell into a deep slumber, happy to be whole once more.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

 _ **WHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!**_

Jes bolted up. "Oh no!"

Antonio sat up. "What the hell is that?"

Jes looked around. It was pitch black. The power was out, and the only light was coming from the lightning that was furiously flashing outside. "Tornardo… Tornado Siren." Jes panicked. It had been years since she'd heard it last, back when the town was testing the system.

"The what?!" Antonio exclaimed.

Jes reached for the closest thing to her. She slid Antonio's t-shirt over her head and ran to the window. "Fuck! Get dressed… we… basement… now!"

Just then, the weather radio kicked in with a ear-piercing alarm. While Antonio was pulling on his jeans, Jes hit the button to activate the warning.

"Environment Canada has issued a Tornado Warning for the following regions." The announcer went to ramble on a large area, including Morinville and Sturgeon County.

"Jes… we're in Sturgeon…"

"I know!" Jes grabbed the flashlight off the kitchen counter and their cellphones. "Basement! Now!" She ran ahead. She knew they didn't have much time.

"How soon will it get here?!" Antonio shouted after her.

"If the Alarm is sounding… it's already here." She paused at the door, looking out into the yard. "Oh shit!"

Antonio was right behind her. His jaw dropped when he saw the sky. "What the fuck!?"

The sky was pitch black was edged with an evil shade of green. Through the flashes of lightning, they saw a long rope-like cloud descending from the sky. It was still a couple miles out, but they didn't have long. Jes slammed the interior door closed and bolted it just as golf ball-sized hail beat against the house.

Jes grabbed his hand and yanked him towards the basement. She was wishing that their family was here with them. "Let's go!" Antonio followed her to the basement. She opened the door to the pantry that was under the stairs. "Get in!" Once they were inside, she closed the door and crawled as deep under the staircase as she could. She was shaking.

Antonio covered her body with his. "Call Jay or Mom… make sure they're safe."

"Cells won't work… not right now." Jes whimpered. "The kids… they have to be so scared."

Antonio was about to answer but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the storm. They could feel the walls shake as the winds picked up. "Hold on to me, babe. I've got you." He shouted into her ear.

Jes clung to him and began to pray.

No sooner had the alarms gone off, the winds died down and it was silent, absolutely, dead silent. Jes looked up at Antonio. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"Is it over?" Antonio asked.

Jes was still shaking. "I… I don't know."

They waited in silence for what seemed like eternity. Antonio kept rubbing Jes' back and holding her. He wanted to go check to see if the storm was over but he knew he couldn't leave Jes. He just whispered to her in Spanish that they were going to be okay. He only hoped that his words weren't empty promises.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay looked around. "Is everyone okay?"

Gaby coughed. "Yeah… Ma?"

"Si, si… I'm fine… the babies are fine… Eva? Diego?"

"Here!" Eva's voice came from under the table. "Diego, Vinessa and I are all here."

"Anyone hurt?" Gaby asked, coming out from behind the shelving unit.

"We're okay." Kevin said, helping Jacquie to her feet. "Right?"

"Just a little shaken up." Jacquie groaned. "I just hope Mom and Dad are fine."

There was a pounding at the cellar door. "Jacquie! Kevin! Jay! Anyone?!"

"Dad!" Jacquie called back. "We're all good… we're down here!"

The cellar door opened and there were heavy footsteps that raced down the stairs. Damien ran to his daughter and hugged her tightly. "Oh thank God!" He kissed her cheek. "We were so worried." He looked around. "The kids?"

"We're good." Diego poked his head around his aunt and uncle.

Meg's voice came from the top of the stairs. "Everyone okay down there?"

"Yeah. They're… wait… where's Jeslyn and Antonio?" Damien looked around.

"They're not here." Jay groaned as he stretched. "Antonio had something special planned for Jes tonight."

Damien's voice shook as he asked. "Where are they supposed to be?"

"The main house." Kevin said.

"Dad," Jacquie whispered. "Jes knows what to do in case of a tornado…"

"The main house is levelled." Damien whispered back. He didn't want to upset the kids, but they were preoccupied with the twins, so he hoped they didn't hear anything.

Jacquie's jaw dropped. "Kevin… you and Jay… and Gaby… go with Dad… check on them… We'll stay here with the kids."

Eva could tell something was wrong, and so could Diego. "What's going on?"

"Nothing… just, have to go make sure they're okay." Jay smiled.

"Uncle Jay, you suck at lying." Diego crossed his arms. "Tell the truth."

Jay and Gaby looked to each other. They had heard Damien. This wasn't good, but they couldn't have the kids freaking out.

"Seriously." Jay put his hand over his heart. "We're just going to check."

"How bad was it?" Eva asked.

"Pretty bad…" Meg saw the fear in the kids' eyes. "But not near here. It'll be okay… we'll just stay put until we find your parents' hiding place."

Diego and Eva weren't buying it. "Don't lie to us!"

Jay knelt in front of them. "We don't know anything yet." He sighed. "You have to believe that they're okay… okay?"

Diego sniffled and Eva threw herself into his arms. "You have to find them!"

Jay hugged her tightly. "We will… okay? We will… now, stay here with Jacquie and Abuela and Meg… help take care of Mateo and Jonathan… we'll be back soon." Jay kissed her forehead and hugged Diego. "We'll be back soon." He grabbed a flashlight and followed Damien and Gaby up the stairs.

Jacquie brought the children in close to her and looked up to Kevin. "Go. We'll be fine." Kevin nodded and took off after the others. Jacquie silently prayed that Antonio and Jes were alive and safe.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Antonio looked around. "Babe, it's over."

Jes was still quaking. "Okay… we… we should go try and check on the kids."

Antonio carefully crawled out from under the stairs. "I'm gonna check the stability of stuff… see if there was damage. You stay put."

"Antonio… no! What… what if something happens to you?"

"I'll be fine baby… I don't think we actually got hit." He went to push the door open.

Jes didn't buy it. "Wait!"

Antonio pushed the door open and there was a rumble as the walls shook. There was a crash and the pantry was suddenly filled with dust.

"Antonio!" Jes screamed. "Antonio!" She went to get out from under the stairs, but there was another crash and more dust flooded the room. She coughed harshly. "Antonio!" She heard nothing. She collapsed against the container that held their collection of paper plates. She wept as she came to the realization that she may have just lost everything dear to her and that she was probably going to die alone in this pantry without ever saying 'I love you' to her family one last time.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jay and Gaby froze as they ran towards the main house. Damien hadn't been lying. The house was gone. Obliterated. There was smoke and dust in the air. Gaby cried out. Jay was in shock. He looked to Gaby. She was sobbing. He forced himself to keep moving. He took Gaby's elbow. "Gaby! They need us! They're alive… we have to believe that!"

"How? Are you seeing what I'm seeing!" Gaby couldn't remain calm. She was hysterical. "My brother and your sister are in there… God knows if they were able to get to safety!"

Kevin snapped into action. He grabbed Gaby by the shoulders and shook her. "Gabriela!" It was the first time that Kevin had ever called her by her full name. "We're never going to find them if you're standing here frozen! The sooner we get over there the better!"

Gaby seemed to come back to her normal self. She focused on her breathing. She let her firefighting training kick in. "Okay… uh… the structure looks really unstable… do we know if Emergency Services were called?"

Damien nodded. "I called them already, but they're stretched thin. There's about a two mile stretch by a mile wide of damage."

"Damn." Gaby took a deep breath. "Do we have tools we can use to dig?"

Damien pointed to the shop which was relatively undamaged. "We have shovels and picks in there. Maybe some rope too."

"What about saws?" Gaby knew that the framework of the house would be too heavy to move. It would have to be cut away.

"We got a couple in there… battery operated… which is good, considering we don't have any power." Damien pointed to the downed powerlines.

Gaby nodded. "Okay… let's get going… I don't want them to be in there longer than they have to be."

Once they had the tools and shovels, they raced over to the house. The roof had been peeled off and was in the field across the road. The rest of the house had fallen in on itself. They began to call out. "Antonio! Jes!"

There was no response. Jay knew that Jes had had tornado drills in school. "Wait! Where would the stairs to the basement be?"

Damien looked at the debris. He pointed to the far-right corner. "Around there."

"If they heard the sirens, Jes would've gotten them to the basement." Jay said. "To an interior room."

There was a crash and cloud of dust that came from that corner. They could hear a faint cry. Jay rushed towards the noise. "Jes! Antonio!"

Damien and Kevin were on his heels. They were about to move some beams and debris when Gaby bellowed at them to stop. They stopped and stared at her.

"We can't just move any random piece… this is like Tetris… one wrong move, and we could have an even bigger collapse." She pointed the beam that Jay had went to move. "That one… it can't be moved first… because it's holding up that pile of concrete right there."

The men looked to where she was pointing. "Damn." Jay said. "Sorry… Gaby… I…"

"I know… but we've gotta be strategic about this… they're depending on us, remember?"

Slowly and surely, they made their way through the debris. Once a big enough hole had been made, Jay called down into it. "Jes! Antonio! Can you hear us?"

There was a distant answer. "Jay?"

"Jes!" Jay felt some relief. "Jes! It's us… we're here… we're going to get you out!"

Jes' voice came back, it sounded hoarse and weak. "Jay… Antonio… he… the collapse."

"We're coming!" Jay had to choke back the tears. He knew what she meant. Antonio was caught under the rubble. "Stay away from the falling debris… we're coming to get you…"

"I'm scared!" Jes sounded more than just scared.

Gaby stepped in. "Jes… we're coming to you, sister. The kids are fine… they're safe… they want you back… so just hang on…"

"Okay." Jes' whimper was barely audible.

They continued to pull away the rubble. It was getting darker, and colder. Despite it being late August, the air was frigid and the wind was beginning to pick up again.

Damien looked to the sky. "We have to move… storm's coming back."

"Another tornado?" Kevin asked.

Damien shook his head. "No… but it's still possible for hail, thunder and lightning…"

Jay nodded. "Okay, I think the hole is big enough and stable enough for one of us to go down there and find them."

"I'll go." Gaby said. "I was a paramedic; I am a firefighter… and I'm the smallest."

"What if one of them is hurt?" Damien had been in similar situations back in Kandahar. "You need help getting them out."

"Jay can come with me." Gaby said. "You two are probably the strongest… you'll have to pull us back up."

Kevin nodded. "Let's just get movin'… I really don't want to be caught in another storm too badly."

Jay and Gaby wrapped the rope around themselves and Damien and Kevin slowly lowered them through the hole. Jay had put his flashlight in his mouth so he could control the speed of his descent. Gaby had shoved hers in her pocket. She had the First Aid Kit in her mouth. She just prayed she wouldn't actually have to use it. Their feet touched the ground. They could tell it was really unstable. Jay took the flashlight from his mouth and looked around. Most of the main floor was to their left. He spotted the stove off to one side. He looked to try and find a way to get to Jes.

"Okay! We're down!" Jay called up.

"You see them?" Kevin asked.

"Not yet!" Jay untied himself from the rope and slowly made his way to where the pantry once had stood. "Damn." He grumbled. There was a massive pile of concrete in front of the door.

Gaby untied herself and stood next to him. "Shit. That's a lot of concrete."

"Yeah." Jay groaned. "Where should we start?"

Gaby poked around. "Here."

They began to slowly pull away the rubble. They could hear noise as they lifted some of the debris.

"Jes?" Jay called.

There was a groan. It most definitely wasn't Jes.

"Antonio!" Gaby exclaimed. "Antonio, can you hear us?"

"Yeah." Antonio's voice sounded strained. "Get me out of here."

"We're coming, bro." Jay reassured him. "Just, whatever you do… don't move."

"You got." Antonio coughed. "Jes?"

"She's okay… we gotta get to her but she's okay." Gaby said. "Let's get you out first."

After what seemed like eternity, they were finally able to pull Antonio from the rubble. They helped him to his feet.

"You okay, bro?" Jay asked.

Antonio coughed, then nodded. "Yeah… How… what?"

Gaby let her paramedic training kick in. "Let me look you over." She noted a couple contusions and that he may have a concussion. "Okay… we're gonna get you on the rope and outta here… then we'll get Jes."

Antonio crossed his arms. "Over my dead body."

"Antonio… please… you two just survived a huge tornado that knocked the house over your heads… just… for once listen to your baby sister." Gaby pleaded. "We need you both alive… Jes won't be thrilled if you wouldn't listen."

"I'm not going… not until I see her… that I know she's safe." Antonio froze. "Wait… the kids?"

"Everyone's fine. The tornado missed every other house except this one… but the kids need both of their parents." Jay jumped in. He wanted to get Jes out of there too, but he needed to get Antonio out of there. "Just, go. Kevin and Damien are up top, we'll get Jes."

Antonio shook his head. "I'm helping." He groaned as thunder boomed overhead, covering his ear.

The sound startled Jay, causing him to stumble back. He landed hard against the concrete they'd moved to get Antonio out. He groaned as he felt burning in his ribs. He got up and kept moving. The storm was back and they still needed to get Jes. "Look, 'Tonio… We got another thunderstorm coming in… just… listen… we can't all be down here."

"Jay, I'm not leaving her."

Jay groaned. The pain in his ribs was getting to be a little much. "Fine. Whatever… we can't just keep standing around here arguing. We need to get her before…"

 _ **BOOM!**_

Lightning and thunder filled the sky.

"The storm hits full blast." Jay finished.

They worked quickly but carefully to get to the door. Antonio and Jay held the doorframe as Gaby went in and got Jes out. Just as Jes was clearing the doorway, another crash of thunder shook the remains of the house, and more of the ceiling caved into the space where Jes had just been.

When Jes saw Antonio, she threw herself at him. "Antonio!"

"Jes!" Antonio held her tightly. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

"He has a bunch of bruises and a concussion." Gaby corrected him.

Jes stared at him. "Antonio!"

"I'll be fine… let's… just get out of here." Antonio kissed her cheek.

"The kids?"

"Are fine." Jay groaned. "Let's go… the rain's gotta be coming down hard."

"Yeah!" Kevin's voice echoed into the debris. "Hurry it up!"

"There's an ambulance here to check on you guys!" Damien called down.

Jay motioned to Jes and Antonio to go ahead of them. Gaby and Jay tied them into the ropes and told Kevin and Damien to pull them up. They watched as the rain poured down and Jes and Antonio were pulled to safety.

Gaby noticed that Jay was getting out of breath. "Jay? You okay?"

"I just hit my ribs hard against that concrete." Jay gasped. "I'll be fine."

"I'm not buying it." Gaby grabbed his shirt and lifted it. She knew it wasn't bruised ribs. She yelled up to the guys on top. "Get that rope down here, now! Jay's hurt!"

"Gaby… I'll… I… fine." Jay's words were no longer making sense.

Gaby flashed her flashlight to his face. "No… no you're not." His lips had a bluish tint. He wasn't getting any oxygen. "Kevin! Fuck! Hurry up!"

By the time the rope was back, Jay was unresponsive. Gaby had to use all her strength to hold him up and tie the rope around him. She grabbed the other rope and tied it around herself. "Jay's gonna be dead weight! Pull us both up and get the medics here!" She held onto Jay as they pulled them up out of the destroyed house. She felt the cold rain against her skin. It was a harsh reminder that no matter what they had planned, Mother Nature always had her own plans.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Another adventure for the soon to be newlyweds. All the information concerning the 1987 tornado is accurate. It was known as Black Friday here in Edmonton. More to come soon! Let me know what you think! Love, Nicole.**_


	42. I Do

_***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes was frantic. She watched in horror as her brother was being loaded into the ambulance. Gaby hopped in and slammed the door closed. The ambulance pulled away. Jes turned to Damien. "We have to follow him!"

"Jes, we need to make sure the roads are even safe right now." Damien reminded her.

"But…"

"Babe, just, breathe… focus here… okay… Jay has the best people taking care of him… he's going to be fine."

Jes was shivering as the rain poured down. "I wanna see the kids."

"Then let's go." Kevin nodded.

They ran back to the guest house and like Gaby had said, there was no damage. Jes ran into the house. "Eva! Diego! Mama!"

Eva poked her head around the corner. "Mom!" She yelled into the kitchen. "Guys! They're back!"

There was a stampede of footsteps as the kids rushed towards their parents. Antonio and Jes hugged their children tightly. They were so thankful to know that their children were safe.

"Where are the twins?" Antonio asked.

"Abuela has them." Diego said. "They actually slept through the whole thing."

"Are you guys okay?" Eva asked.

"We're fine, a little bruised and soaking wet but we're fine." Antonio reassured her.

"Where are Uncle Jay and Tia Gaby?" Eva looked behind them.

"Um…" Antonio looked to Jes.

Jes sighed. "Uncle Jay got a little hurt when he fell on some rubble when he rescued us… the medics just wanted to make sure he was fine."

"Oh." Eva looked to the adults. She wasn't sure if she bought this, but it did make sense. "But why did Tia Gaby go with him?"

"Same thing." Antonio jumped in. "There was some rocks that hit her, and they just wanted to be safe. Don't worry, they'll be back soon enough."

That seemed to settle everyone down. Kevin went to check on Jacquie to make sure this hadn't sent her into premature labour. The kids went to go play board games with Damien, Meg and Vinessa. Antonio and Jes went to check on the twins.

"Oh, Dios mio!" Constanza rushed to hug them as soon as she saw them.

"Mami… can't breathe." Antonio gasped.

"I'm sorry, hijo… but I was so scared."

"We're fine. The medics checked us both out, nothing wrong… other than a bump on the head and some minor scrapes and bruises."

"Where's Gaby? And Jay?"

Jes answered. "At the hospital… Jay fell and got hurt against some rubble while saving Antonio."

"Is he okay?"

"We don't know." Antonio whispered. "Gaby went with him to make sure he was going to be well taken care of."

Jes was shaking. She was frozen from the storm, but also terrified of what happened to her brother. "Maybe we should move the wedding…"

"Baby… I think right now, that's the least of our worries."

They were startled by the doorbell ringing. "Who could that be?"

Jes shrugged. "No, idea." She made her way to the door.

Antonio followed her, not exactly sure what to make of someone showing up so soon after such a devastating storm.

Jes opened the door a little bit. "Captain LaSalle!" She opened the door completely. "What are you doing here?"

"Checking in on you, for one." He smiled. "Glad to see you guys are okay… the kids okay?"

Jes nodded. "Shaken up, but good… the twins slept through it, we were told."

"They weren't with you?" He asked.

Antonio shook his head. "No, my mom kept them here with the other kids so we could have a little time to ourselves before the wedding."

"Uh huh." Captain LaSalle looked at the two of them. "I see."

Jes looked down and realized she was standing there in nothing more than a t-shirt, Antonio's to be more specific. "Oh shit!" She went to hide behind Antonio. "Um… I should get dressed."

Antonio chuckled to himself. "Good idea."

Captain LaSalle seconded that. "I also came to escort you to the hospital. Your brother's asking for you."

Jes didn't need to be asked twice. She flew to Jacquie's room to borrow some dry clothes. She quickly towel dried her hair and ran back down the stairs. She tossed Antonio a clean t-shirt she'd gotten from Kevin.

He slipped in on and laughed. "A little big?"

"Don't care." She was halfway out the door. "We need to check on Jay."

Antonio shrugged and followed her to the waiting SUV.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Upon arriving to Sturgeon Hospital, they were led to a private room in the ER. The nurse let them in and told them she'd be right outside if they needed anything.

Gaby got up to hug them both. "He's going to okay… they just can't fix his pigheadedness."

"Haha." Jay said sarcastically. "Ow." His hand went to his ribs. "Don't make me laugh."

Antonio looked his sister over. "How about you, Gaby… how are you?"

"I have a pulled muscle in my shoulder, but I'll live… couple bruises… thank god, my dress can cover them. I'm just happy they didn't need x-rays."

"We can move the wedding." Jes jumped in. "Wait until everyone's healed… and… and…"

Jay grabbed his sister's hand. "You'll do no such thing." He squeezed her hand. "I won't let a couple bruised ribs or collapsed lung keep you from getting married next week."

"A what?!" Jes exclaimed. "Jay, you… oh God…"

Antonio rushed to her side and pulled a chair up behind her to have her sit. "Baby… he's fine, look at him."

"But, he… collapsed… ribs…" Jes was hyperventilating.

Antonio knelt in front of her. "Jeslyn… look at me…"

She looked up, her eyes were filled with fear.

"Breathe in…" He waited for her to breathe in. "And breathe out, slowly." He did this a couple more times until she stopped shaking and her breathing regulated. "Good." He smiled. "I didn't want to have you end up in here too."

There was a knock on the door. "Well, I see everyone's here now."

"Hey, Doc." Jay said. "My sister finally made it in."

"I can see that." He walked into the room. "I'm Dr. Walters. I treated Jay when he came in." He could see that Jes was very anxious. "You must be Jes."

Jes nodded. "Yep."

"Jay was more worried about you than himself."

Jes laughed weakly. "He's always like that."

"How are you doing?"

"The medics said I was fine… more in shock than anything else." Jes answered. "What about Jay? He said something about bruised ribs and… and a collapsed lung?"

Dr. Walters smiled. "He told you… and despite all that, he's going to be okay. I don't recommend him kicking down doors anytime soon, but he'll be able to go home tomorrow or the day after, depends on how his breathing is."

"Will I be able to walk my sister up the aisle?" Jay asked.

"When's the big day?"

Jes hesitated. "Saturday… next Saturday."

"He should be fine by then. Just has to take it slow and not over do anything."

"Thanks, Doc." Jay smiled. He then turned to Jes. "Told ya."

"How old are you?" Jes retorted. "Anything else? Why did his lung collapse?"

Dr. Walters looked to Jay. "You didn't tell her?"

"I didn't need her getting all worked up." Jay said through gritted teeth.

"Mhmm." Dr. Walters nodded. "Well, she should know the whole truth."

"Fine." Jay leaned back into the pillows. He'd never hear the end of it from her. "When the thunder crashed… and I fell…" He sighed. "I landed on a piece of rebar that was poking out of the mess."

"Jay!" Jes exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

"Because, you'd already been trapped in the rubble for however long…"

"So when you passed out, it was because of…"

"A combination of blood loss and shock… we gave him a transfusion and he did well… the lung was reinflated, and I'd say in a couple days he can go home and rest… then he can walk you down the aisle on your big day." Dr. Walters answered.

"So, there won't be any long-lasting side-effects?"

Dr. Walters shook his head. "Nope. As long as he follows doctor's orders… which by the sounds he will. Gaby here is a pretty awesome girlfriend to be taking such good care of him.

Jay tried to say that they weren't dating but he was called over the intercom to the trauma room.

Jes turned to face Jay and Gaby. "Girlfriend?"

Gaby groaned. "It was the only way they'd let me back here… so I fibbed."

"You two do make a cute couple." Antonio joked.

"Antonio…" Gaby glared at her brother. "I'm quite content being single… for now." Jes stared at Gaby. Gaby understood what that look meant. Jes was trying to remind her about her recent tryst with Matt. Gaby couldn't forget, she hadn't really been feeling herself since then.

"Okay!" Antonio tossed his hands up in the air. "Okay… so, we're not moving the wedding… but we'll have to find somewhere else to stay… the house is kinda leveled."

"Oh! Don't remind me." Jes collapsed back into the seat. "I don't want to have to tell my grandparents that the house they built is gone."

"Babe, I'm pretty sure that they'll be happier to know you're alive, and safe and that we as a family are all okay." Antonio took her hand and squeezed it.

"I'm with Antonio." Jay and Gaby said together.

"Are you two sure you're not into each other?" Antonio asked.

"That's in the past, Antonio." Gaby gritted her teeth as she said his name.

Jes just shook her head. "I think this is his revenge for you two bugging us throughout our relationship."

"I knew nothing of that relationship until three months in!" Jay protested.

"He knew nothing of you two dating." Jes laughed.

"Uh, actually… I did know." Antonio blushed.

"You told me you didn't know." Jes gaped.

"I may have fibbed." Antonio winked. "I knew because Gaby had told me."

Jay's eyes bulged out of his head. "Wait… you told him?"

"We don't keep secrets." Gaby laughed.

"Then why did you act as if you didn't know… when you were in the ring?" Jes was genuinely confused.

"I knew it would catch him off guard." Antonio laughed. "Look, it's in the past… let's just focus on the future for now."

"I agree." Jay smiled. "I wanna go home."

"I can go ask a nurse." Jes got up. She kissed Jay on the cheek and headed out.

Antonio looked to Jay. "Thank you."

"For what."

"Keeping my family safe." Antonio shook his hand. "I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost any of them."

"I don't think I'd want to see either of you lose your family." Jay nodded. "You just worry about her and the kids for now… we'll deal with the house later."

"I'll take care of it…" Antonio said. "I won't have her worrying about it."

"The doctor said he's getting moved upstairs for at least two days." Jes came back. "They need to make sure he's 100% before sending him home."

"I hate hospitals." Jay whined.

"Remember that for your future in the police force." Jes retorted. "Between my brother, and my soon-to-be husband… and my best friend's husband are all in the same unit… that equals a lot of potential for hospital visits."

"I promise not to end up in the hospital once I got back to work." Jay extended her his hand. "Pinky promise."

"Are we in junior high?" Jes snickered as she linked her pinky with his. "One trip to the hospital between now and the new year, and I get to beat you to a pulp."

"Isn't that defying the point of him ending up in the hospital?" Gaby asked.

"Meh…" Jes shrugged. "We should let him get some rest… and we need to figure out how to crowd everyone into the guest house."

"We'll make it work, sis." Gaby smiled. "Uh… how'd you get here?"

"RCMP drove us." Antonio sighed. "I could call a cab."

"No need." Damien's voice came from the doorway. "I figured you'd eventually have to come home."

"Thank you." Jes smiled. She kissed Jay on the cheek. "You better listen to the doctors… we'll be back later tomorrow."

"You two focus on your wedding… I'll be fine. Will should be in; he can come keep me company." Jay gently squeezed her hand.

"I'll come keep you company." Gaby laughed. "Let Will deal with wedding fluff."

"It's not fluff." Jes replied. "It's final details, considering the wedding is next Saturday."

"We were smart not to keep any of the wedding stuff in the house." Antonio shook his future brother-in-law's hand. "Let's get home… we'll deal with this aftermath in the morning."

"Good plan." Damien nodded. "The kids are anxious for you guys to come home… Jay, you doing okay?"

"I could use some shut eye."

"Okay!" Jes threw her hand up in the air. "We're going."

Jay laughed. "I love you."

"Love you too, bro." Jes waved as she left the room following Antonio, Damien and Gaby.

* * *

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* * *

The wedding was now two days away. Jes felt so blessed. Friends and family had poured in. A former classmate let them stay in their home while they headed for a cruise. In between all the wedding detail finalization, Jes and Antonio had also found time to get a crew in to clean up the debris from the tornado as well as hire a contractor to rebuild.

Jes was lost in trimming the flowers they'd gotten for the table decorations when Eva tapped her on the shoulder. Jes jumped. "Holy crap! Eva!"

"Sorry, Mom." Eva blushed. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking." Jes sighed. She focused on her breathing to calm her racing heart.

"The flowers look pretty."

"They do." Jes said proudly. They'd gotten silk flowers as a cost saver and were mixing various pink, yellow and purple flowers in mason jars with moss. They looked like the real deal.

"Dad wanted to know if you wanted lunch."

"He's cooking?" Jes arched an eyebrow.

"No… he's ordering pizza…" Eva laughed.

"Ah."

"He said there's no time to do dishes for the next two days."

"I'm not about to argue with him." Jes laughed. "Let's go make sure he doesn't order deep dish only… I can't eat that."

* * *

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* * *

It was the day before the wedding. Jes went with the girls to go pick up their dresses from the shop. The guys were packing up all the decorations so that they decorate the hall. While the girls were away, the guys took the decorations to the hall. Once the girls were back with the dresses, everyone headed to the rehearsal at the church. After rehearsal, everyone headed to the hall to decorate and have the rehearsal dinner. It took a couple of hours, but the hall looked amazing by the end. The kids insisted on making a board with pictures of Jes and Antonio through the years with their engagement picture right in the middle. After supper, the girls headed back to the farm as they were spending the night away from the guys. Jes had wanted to keep with the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before she walked up the aisle. She would be staying with Gaby, Eva and Jacquie at the guest house, while Jay, Will, Javi, Antonio and Diego would be staying at the house they'd been staying in since the tornado.

Once at the house, Jay and Will took some time to talk to Antonio.

"Hey, 'Tonio?" Jay asked from the couch.

"Yeah, Jay?"

"How's things going with Jes?"

"Whatta ya mean?"

"You guys have been through hell and back in the last year…" Will joined his brother on the couch while Diego sat in the overstuffed chair. His attention was focused on the chess app on his iPad.

Antonio sighed and sat on the floor, seeing as it was the only place that wasn't occupied. "We have… look, I think you guys don't get Jes enough credit for her strength."

"Oh, we know how strong she is." Will laughed. "Trust me."

"Then, what is this?"

Jay sighed. "We're worried about you, bro."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." Jay nodded. "Look, Jes doesn't go looking for danger on the job… our job, is looking for danger…"

"I thought our job was keeping Chicago safe?" Antonio questioned.

"It is, but we put ourselves on the line everyday… Jes is strong… but I don't think I want to have to be there for her because you've gotten hurt… or worse." Jay said. "Do you really think staying in Intelligence is going to be a good idea… you've got Jes, the kids… I don't think…"

"Jay…" Antonio put his hand up to stop him. "You're my brother, not just brother-in-law but my brother in arms and I know you mean well, but I'm not going to do anything to stop me from going home to my family at the end of the day."

Will nodded. "Okay… we just… look, with everything that's happened, we want what's best for everyone."

"I get that… I just… I really just want Jes and I to be married… If I had had my way, we would've gotten married as soon as I found out she was pregnant, no drama… no fluff… nothing. Just the two of us, happy with our family."

"You'll get that in…" Jay looked at his watch. "Less than 24 hours… The ceremony's at 3, right?"

"Yep." Antonio grinned. "I can't wait."

"You okay with the fact that the girls are staying at the guest house?" Jay asked.

"Yeah… Jes wanted some tradition… no seeing the bride until she walks up the aisle… I can live with that."

Will laughed. "Not sure I'd be able to if it were me."

"Jes is getting everything she wants for this… it's her dream wedding… she deserves it." Antonio said. "I only wish I had met her sooner in life, so I could have longer to love her."

"Okay, Romeo… cool it." Jay made a face. "Remember, she's our sister and she's already 10 years younger than you."

"Okay." Antonio laughed. "We should hit the hay… photographer's coming here bright and early to do getting ready pictures."

"Where's Atwater and Javi?" Jay asked.

"We're here." Kevin's voice came from the doorway. "Sorry, y'all… had to deal with some minor drama from Jacquie's hormones… it's why I'm so late dropping him off."

"How's she doing?" Will asked.

"She wants baby to come… she wants to go back to Chicago. The tornado really messed with her."

"Pretty sure it messed with a lot of people." Will pointed out. "I'm just thankful there weren't any worse injuries."

"Hey, what about me?" Jay playfully hit his older brother in the face with a toss cushion.

"I said worse… you may as well be Superman… nothing keeps you down." Will laughed.

"Okay… hit the hay… not each other?" Antonio said with his 'Dad' tone. "Jes doesn't want bruises in any of the wedding pictures."

Kevin bid them all good night and headed back to the farm to keep an eye on Vinessa and Jacquie.

* * *

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* * *

"Mom?" Eva knocked on her mom's door.

"Come in, Eva." Jes replied. She was just putting the twins in their cribs.

Eva quietly opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind her. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

Jes nodded. "Excited, anxious… nervous."

"Why nervous?"

"Just… I guess I'm scared something else might happen."

Eva took her hand. "Mom, you and Dad are going to get married tomorrow… come hell or high water."

"You've been around your uncles too much."

Eva laughed. "Maybe, but it's true… no one is going to stop that wedding from happening."

"I'm so happy that you think so." Jes hugged her. "I love you and Diego, you guys know that right?"

"Yeah… we do."

"I just… I worry that sometimes you may not feel that." Jes told her. "I don't want you to ever feel that you are left behind… or forgotten."

"Mom, we share you and Dad with an entire city… but you come home to us… and the twins… we're a family… nothing will change that."

"You say that now." Jes smiled. "What about in a couple years when you're getting ready for college?"

"Mom, I'm still planning my quinceñeara… I don't think I have time to worry about college yet."

"Tell your father that." Jes laughed. "He's worried about you dating and college and all that stuff."

Eva blushed. "He worries too much."

"That he does." Jes smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Just anxious too… I guess."

Jes pulled her in for a hug. "We love you, you know that right?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

Jes nodded. "Definitely… let's get some sleep… we've got a long day tomorrow."

Eva went to kiss her baby brothers good night and crawled into the king-sized bed next to Jes. Jes turned off the light, and they both went to sleep.

* * *

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* * *

Jes' alarm went off. She rolled over to turn it off. She got up and opened the blinds. The sun was shining. Eva and the twins were still sleeping. She was going to take this time to meditate and focus on today. She sat down and enjoyed a cup of tea before hoping in the shower. Luckily for her, she was doing her own hair for the day. She did her hair before sitting down at the kitchen table and wrote a short letter that she would have delivered to Antonio before the ceremony. She poured her feelings into it. She wanted him to know exactly how she felt about him and their family. She wanted him to know how much she appreciated him and loved him. She signed the letter, applied a little bit of lipstick to her lips and left a lip print on the bottom by her signature. She sealed the letter in an envelope and put it alongside her jewelry. She went to wake the others up so they could all start getting ready.

"Mom?" Eva asked.

"Yeah, Eva?"

"Why were you up so early?" Eva asked as Jes curled her hair.

"Because I wanted a little time to myself to meditate and reflect on everything that today symbolizes."

"Oh." Eva yawned. "Ooops."

"I think you could've had a little more sleep." Jes laughed. She pinned some of the curls up before spritzing the hairdo with glitter spray. "What do you think?"

"Wow!" Eva examined the hairstyle in the mirror. "You sure you weren't a stylist in a past life?"

"No, but thank you." Jes kissed her cheek. "Now, go see Jacquie and Tia Gaby to get your make-up done. Photographer will be here soon enough to take some shots before the ceremony."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was anxious. He was probably more anxious now than he had been when he'd married Laura or when any of the kids had been born. He looked out over the lake that was behind the house and watched as the sun came up. He sighed when he looked at the clock. It was way too early to start getting ready. It was only 8:30. The photographer wasn't due here until about noon. He wanted to go for a run, but was worried he'd be late coming back. He settled on going for a jog around the lake. When he came back it was 11, so he had time to shower and shave. The others had already gone ahead to shower and start getting ready.

The photographer arrived at noon and started taking some shots of the guys getting ready out by the lake. She told them it made for an amazing backdrop. They didn't argue, she knew what she was talking about. They did some of the shots with just Antonio and Diego before doing some with Jay and Kevin as well. Soon, Damien showed up to drive them to the church.

"Dad?" Diego asked before they got in.

"Yeah, Diego?"

"Are you nervous?"

"No… just… well, I'm anxious."

"I don't think you should worry about it… pretty sure Mom will be there."

Antonio laughed. "I'm not anxious that she won't show, buddy… it's been a long time since…"

"You got married?"

"Exactly."

"Dad… it's like riding a bike. You love her and she loves you… you've practically been married for a year as it is… so…"

The whole car laughed.

"Oh, Antonio, Jes asked me to give you this." Damien handed him an envelope. "She said to open once you were at the church. She also asked that Jay and Will come back to the farm for some final pictures."

Antonio took the envelope. He had no idea what it was, but he put it in the jacket pocket as they headed to the church.

They arrived at the church just before 2, so Antonio went to the vestibule to read the letter and gather his thoughts.

 _Antonio,_

 _Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. We've been through so much together in the time we've been together. We have a beautiful family, and I couldn't be more thankful to have you as my partner through it all. I sit here this morning, watching the sun rise, our children sleeping and all I can think about is that I wouldn't change a thing. No matter the nightmares we've bene through, we've always been there… side by side._

 _You are everything I could ever want or need in my life. You are everything to me. I don't wake up a day without thinking about you, and if you're safe. I always will worry, but I know you worry about us too. The twins are starting to wake up now, and I see you in them. You are the most amazing father in the world. You have given everything for this family. I am so blessed to have you in my life._

 _I once thought that every dream I had ever had had been shattered time and time again… until I met you. Every dream I had has come true with you and I can't wait to walk down that aisle today. I can't wait to see you and to say 'I do'. No matter what, I know that we are one. One family, one love and no one can undo everything we've done._

 _Te amo, Antonio Dawson… from now until forever. I can't wait to be your wife._

 _Yours forever,_

 _Jeslyn_

Antonio couldn't help it. He felt a tear slide down his face as he read it again. Everything he'd been feeling was just amplified. It had been a rare night away from Jes, Eva and the twins. While Diego had spent the night with him and the other guys, their family had been apart. Something that wasn't supposed to happen, but it was the last time before there was nothing on Earth that would ever be able to pull them apart. He gently traced the lip print by her name and smiled. He put the letter back in his pocket. He looked out of the church window to see that many of their guests were beginning to arrive. He looked at his watch. It was 2:30. He took a deep breath and checked his reflection one last time before heading back to join the others.

"Hey, 'Tonio… everything okay?" Javier asked.

"Yeah, just the… Jes wrote a letter for me…" Antonio smiled.

"Ah." Javi laughed. "How you feeling?"

"Anxious. Nervous. Excited." Antonio laughed. "I just… I never thought we'd get here again."

"Hey, Antonio… you and Jes… you're meant to be." Javi patted his shoulder.

"Javi."

"No, man… listen to me… you guys are… what the girls have been referring to as 'relationship goals'. You two are like… on the same wave-length all the time and, despite the job and everything… you make it work."

"I don't get what you're trying to tell me, but sure." Antonio sighed.

"Dad?" Diego tapped his arm.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"They're here… Mom said that you have to stay on this side of those doors."

"You got it."

"By the way… Dad… you're gonna be knocked on your butt."

"Thanks, Diego." Antonio laughed. He had no doubt that his bride was going to be breath-taking. He was prepared, or so he hoped.

"Antonio." Father Martin greeted him. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Father." Antonio was grinning. A few more minutes and they'd be able to get this show on the road.

"Anxious?"

"That and so much more." Antonio laughed. "Thank you, for everything you've done."

"Thank you, for giving Jeslyn the life and family she deserves." Father Martin shook his hand. "I can see how happy she is with you… and how happy you all are as a family."

Antonio didn't know what to say.

"The twins are doing well?"

Antonio nodded. "Growing everyday… but they're amazing and Jes has recovered… from today, we can only move forward."

"That's the best way to do it."

Antonio turned as the church doors opened and Gaby, Eva, Jacquie, Kevin, Vinessa and his parents made their way into the church. Antonio excused himself and went to greet them.

"Mami, Papi…" He hugged them and took Mateo from his father. "Hey, little one."

"Don't you let him mess up his suit." His mother insisted. "It took forever to get these two dressed."

"Yes, Mom… I have that general idea considering they're that way every day." Antonio laughed. "I have a feeling that once they're old enough to realize they can get undressed, we're going to have a couple of streakers on our hands."

"Don't worry, Antonio." Gaby laughed. "They'll be taking after their father, so it's completely normal."

Eva's jaw dropped. "Dad?"

"Gabriela… not in Church." Antonio whispered harshly. "Better yet, not ever."

Emmanuel reached for Mateo. "Si, good idea. We should be getting ready for the procession, no?"

Antonio nodded and kissed his son. "Si. It's almost time."

Kevin, Jacquie and Victoria were going to be watching the twins with Antonio's parents, but only after Antonio had been walked up the aisle by both Emmanuel and Constanza. Antonio had originally found it odd that he should be escorted up the aisle by his parents, but Jes explained that the Church had been changing and that there wasn't any more of the 'giving away' that used to happen as people aren't property. They took the twins and went to where they were supposed to sit. Antonio took the boutonnière and pinned it to his father's lapel and then slid his mother's corsage on her wrist.

"I couldn't be more thankful or happy that you can both be here."

"We're just happy to see you and the kids happy." Emmanuel squeezed his son's shoulder. "You both deserve this and have had to overcome so much to get here."

"Hijo," Constanza took his face in her hands. "She is your other half… you both have worked so hard and done so much, now is your time… your time to enjoy life and be happy. That is all any parent could ever ask for."

Antonio kissed her cheek. "Gracias."

"Antonio, are you ready?" Father Martin asked.

Antonio nodded. "More than ready."

Father Martin chuckled as he made a signal to the band to start playing the music. Everyone got into position. The procession would start as soon as Father Martin was at the altar. He took his position and the music began. The entrance song for Antonio and the bridal party was Peter, Paul and Mary's "There is Love". Jes had picked it as it was a tribute to her parents, even though their marriage hadn't worked out, it had been one of their wedding songs. Once everyone was in their place, the music changed and everyone turned to face the back of the Church. The music changed to 'Canon in D' and the Church doors swung open to reveal Jes, Will and Jay.

Antonio gasped as he saw her. She was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. She was glowing as she floated down the aisle on both her brothers' arms. He hugged his brothers-in-law as Jes hugged her parents-in-law. She then turned to face Antonio. He extended his hand and they took the final steps to the altar.

* * *

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* * *

Father Martin began the ceremony by welcoming everyone to the ceremony. "It is my great pleasure to be here today to celebrate the marriage of Antonio Dawson and Jeslyn Halstead." He then quickly explained to the non-Catholics how the ceremony would proceed. He then invited Constanza and Will to come light the candles that were on either side of the unity candle. Those tapers symbolized Antonio and Jes' single lives and the light that was their families. Then Gaby stepped up to read the 1st reading. Jes had insisted on sticking to tradition, as well as her grandparents' memory as they had had the same readings at their wedding, and choose Genesis. The second reading was done in French and Jacquie, with Kevin's help to get to the pulpit, read 1st Corinthians. To many this was clichéd, but to Jes and Antonio, these readings described everything they felt was key to making a marriage work. Gaby and Jacquie then went to their seats so Father Martin could do the Gospel reading and Homily.

Father Martin began his homily. "I have known Jeslyn for quite some time now, and it is a great honour to be here today to perform this ceremony. I have watched her grow and be the strong woman we all know her to be. I also have waited for the day that she would come home and tell us that she had found her partner, her other half… a man that was as equally strong and kind as her. She found him in Antonio." He continued to talk about the attributes they both had that made them the perfect couple and their bond. He also spoke of the symbolism that was demonstrated throughout the ceremony as was in life. At the end of his homily, Father Martin asked Jes and Antonio to join him by the altar.

"Jeslyn and Antonio, have you come here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and whole heartedly?"

They replied. "I do."

"Are you prepared, as you follow the path of Marriage, to love and honour each other for as long as you both shall live."

"I do."

Father Martin could help but snicker as he asked the next question. "Are you prepared to accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

The guests erupted into laughter as Jes and Antonio replied. "I do."

As it quieted down, Father Martin spoke again. "Since it is your intention to enter into the covenant of Holy Matrimony, join your right hands and declare your consent before God and his Church."

Antonio gently took Jes' hand in his. Father Martin took his stole and wrapped it around their hands. Father Martin then said. "Antonio and Jeslyn have told me they've memorized their vows, so… I'll let them to it."

Antonio smiled as he began his vows. "I, Antonio, take you, Jeslyn, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad… in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour all the days of my life."

Jes wiped a tear from her cheek as she spoke. "I, Jeslyn, take you, Antonio, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad… in sickness and in health. I will love you and honour you all the days of my life."

Jay looked to Will in the pew across from him. Both of them had tears in their eyes. Despite the strength they had, both of them had one weakness and she was no longer Jeslyn Halstead, but Jeslyn Dawson.

"Now that Jeslyn and Antonio have exchanged their vows, we pray that God's blessing be upon them and their family. What God joins together, let no one put asunder." Father Martin motioned to Diego and Eva to come up and join them.

They each carried a small box with the rings. Jes had had her engagement ring soldered to her wedding band before the ceremony. Diego carried her ring and Eva carried Antonio's. They gave the rings to Father Martin who said a blessing over them. He then handed Jes' rings to Antonio.

"Jeslyn, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." His voice hitched as he slid the rings onto her finger.

Jeslyn took Antonio's ring and slid it on his finger. "Antonio." She paused. She had to take a breath as the emotions she was feeling overtook her. "Receive this ring as a sign of my love… and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy… Spirit."

"Now, Jeslyn and Antonio have decided to include some Latin American traditions in this ceremony, as they both acknowledge their cultures in their family. The first is the Arras…" He motioned to Javier who had been carrying them. "These 13 coins have many symbols. Some being Jesus and the 12 Apostles… as well as the values that are needed in marriage: love, harmony, cooperation, commitment, peace, happiness, trust, respect, caring, wisdom, joy, wholeness and nurturing. May these coins be a symbol of this couple's mutual love, fidelity and trust." He then said a prayer over them before handing them to Antonio.

Antonio gently laid each coin in Jes' hand, and said. "I, Antonio, give you, Jeslyn, these 13 arras as a symbol of my unquestionable trust and confidence I place in you as my beloved wife. As we unite our lives today, I share all material responsibility with you."

Jeslyn remembered her part. "I, Jeslyn, accept these arrases and assure you of my total love and dedication in looking after you, your possessions, our family and my unconditional love."

Father Martin put both hands over them. "Father in heaven, you ordained marriage for your children and you gave us love. We present to you, Jeslyn and Antonio, who come this day to be married. May the covenant of love they make be blessed with true devotion and spiritual commitment. We thank you for giving them the ability to keep the covenant they have made. When selfishness shows itself, grant generosity; When mistrust is a temptation, give moral strength; When there is misunderstanding, give patience gentleness; If suffering becomes a part of their lives, give them a strong faith and an abiding love. Amen."

He then motioned to Antoinette, Lucien, Constanza and Emmanuel to come forward. Jes and Antonio knelt in front of the altar. Will and Kevin helped them make their way and then placed the lasso, a special rosary that was in a figure 8 or infinity symbol, over Antonio and Jes' shoulders. They kept their hands on their shoulders. Will and Kevin stood by so that they could help Jes' grandparents to their pew

"Antonio and Jeslyn have chosen to incorporate the Lasso ritual. The Lasso is a ritual in which the couple are bound together with a ceremonial rosary. It is generally placed over their shoulders and held by a couple which inspires their relationship. Jeslyn and Antonio have chosen two couples, that demonstrate the love and commitment they wish to have in their own marriage. First, Jeslyn's grandparents, Antoinette and Lucien Bellamy. They've been married 62 years today. We also have Antonio's parents, Emmanuel and Constanza Dawson, who have been married for 38 years." Father then held his hands over them once again. "Antonio and Jeslyn, since your lives have crossed in this life, you have formed eternal and sacred bonds. As you enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real the ideals that to you, give meaning to this ceremony and to the institution of marriage. With full awareness, know that within this Lasso you are not only declaring your intent to be bound together before your friends and family, but you speak that intent also to God. The promises you made here today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth. Antonio and Jeslyn, as you are bound together now, so too your lives and spirits are joined in a union of everlasting love and trust. Above you are the stars and below you is the earth. Like the starts your love should be a constant light, and the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow."

Constanza and Antoinette lifted the Lasso from their shoulders and both couples were escorted back to their seats.

Antonio helped Jes up and led her to the altar. They each took their taper and as one they lit the central candle that had 1 Corinthians inscribed on it.

"It is my great pleasure to pronounce you man, and wife." Father Martin exclaimed. "You may kiss your bride."

Antonio pulled Jes to him and dipped her as he kissed her deeply. The Church resounded with cheers, whistles and applause.

They broke the kiss and Antonio smiled. "I love you."

"I love you." She gently stroked his cheek.

"We'll continue with Communion and then the signing of the registry." Father Martin motioned for them to sit.

After Communion, Will, Kevin as well as Antonio's nieces and nephew went over to where the musicians were standing. Will took his guitar from the case and they got into position.

As Jes and Antonio signed the registry, Will played 'Te Quiero Tanto, Tanto' on the guitar and sang alongside the others. After the registry was signed, the bridal party joined Jes and Antonio by the altar.

When the song was over, Father Martin came forward. "My Spanish is a little rusty, but I'm pretty sure that that song was about love and how much love two people can have for one another. Now, let us again congratulate Jeslyn and Antonio." The Church was filled with more applause. "It is my great pleasure to formally introduce, Mr. and Mrs. Antonio and Jeslyn Dawson."

Will struck a few chords on his guitar. It was the opening notes to one of Jes' favourite songs, 'Let Your Love Speak' by Emerson Drive. Antonio took Jes' hand and together they walked down the aisle as man and wife.

* * *

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* * *

After they'd taken a variety of portraits and shots with the photographer, the families headed to the hall. The bridal party had more pictures to take before the reception, but these were being taken at a different locale. Once those were done, they headed to the hall. The Grand Entrance was made, followed quickly by introductions and Grace. After the meal, they went through speeches and everyone followed Jes' request of short, sweet and to the point. They cut the cake, did the bouquet and garter tosses before starting the dance. The night was a complete success. The dancefloor was never empty. Jes and Antonio mingled with their guests. They danced and laughed. Everything that had been negative in the last year had dissipated. All they held onto was their future together, their family and friends. There was nothing that was ruining this special day. As the night wore on, guests began to leave. When they shut everything down at 2am, the remaining guests and family members took down the decorations. Once everything was loaded up, the skies opened up as a thunderstorm hit. Antonio and Jes ran to their vehicle in the pouring rain, laughter echoing amongst the crashes of thunder.

They got into the Jeep. "Oh my God!" Jes squealed. "I'm soaked."

Antonio leaned over and kissed her. "Mrs. Dawson."

"Mmm." Jes grinned. "I really do like the sound of that."

"Good… because I plan on using it all the time now." Antonio stroked her cheek. "You are so beautiful… and amazing… and now, you're my wife… I'm so… blessed."

"Detective." She used her seductive tone. "I suggest you drive us to that hotel before we end up spending our wedding night in a Jeep on some back-country road in the middle of a thunderstorm."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Antonio… my change of clothes is at the hotel… remember?"

"Ah… right." He laughed. He put the Jeep in gear and they headed off into the stormy night.

Once at the hotel, they were greeted by one of the hotel managers who helped them to their suite. Once at the suite, Antonio lifted Jes into his arms. Jes squealed as he carried her over the threshold. He kicked the door closed behind them and gently placed her on the floor.

"I was breathless when those doors opened today." Antonio whispered. "You are so beautiful… I… still can't believe it."

"We're married, Antonio." She kissed him. "There isn't anyone or anything on Earth that can undo this."

His hands made the way to the back of her dress. Earlier in the evening, he'd made the comment that he was so thankful that she'd decided against getting a corset back for the wedding gown. He undid the hook and eye that held it together at the top, then slid the down. The dress slid to the ground. "You're… not wearing…"

"I know…" She grinned. She then made quick work of his clothing, gently tossing it on the sofa that was in their room.

No sooner were his clothes tossed aside, Antonio spun her around and gently pushed her until she fell on the bed.

"Antonio…" She breathed.

"Jeslyn." He kissed her as his hand slid down the suppleness of her body. He reached her knees, gently parting them and positioned himself between them.

They didn't need foreplay. They'd been waiting for this night for quite some time and this was everything they could've dreamed off. He slid into her. She moaned as he filled her. She thrust her hips up to meet his, upping the tempo. She dug her nails into his back as he brought her to her climax, over and over again. She gasped as he teased her nipples. She wrapped her legs around his waist and used all her strength to flip him under her. Antonio cried out as Jes pinned him to the bed.

"You little minx."

"Uh huh." She grabbed at the headboard to support herself as she began to move.

Antonio gripped the sheet in one hand while the other cupped Jes' derriere. He squeezed as she clamped down on him. "You keep that up, I won't be able to last much longer."

"That's the point." Jes leaned down and kissed him, nipping at his bottom lip. "I don't want you to last… we have all of our lives to do this again and again… but right now… I… want… you…" She cried out as she felt Antonio fill her. Her own body climaxing at the same time. Jes collapsed onto Antonio.

"Better?" He asked hoarsely.

Jes nodded weakly. "Much."

Antonio wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I love you… and this… our family… everything… you are all my world."

"I agree." Jes nuzzled against him. "You notice the Jacuzzi over there?"

"I did…"

"I'd really like to… you know."

"Jes, you are something else." Antonio laughed as he got out of bed to set the Jacuzzi up.

Jes admired her husband. All her dreams had come true; they had all started with a price on her brother's head and her being thrust into the arms of the man she'd fallen madly in love with. That same man was now the father of her children and her husband.

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* * *

 _ **A/N: Finally! I know… we were all thinking it! It only took this long to get to this moment in their relationship. Yes, I know there was a lot of drama and tragedy, but I did have a reason to all my madness. They are happy now… and will remain so for a bit. I know my stories are taking a long to update, but please be patient with me. I have three stories on the go that are at least 5000 words per chapter. I also have Brettonio one shots that are published on Tumblr and Wattpad… and I have another story in the works that will be Chicago Med based and it is a collaboration (most likely will be on Wattpad only)… but it's still a bit of work away. I know that you like this story, and I wish I could update it daily but I can't. I am working full-time during the week so I can only write on weekends. I promise this story doesn't end here, just give me time to update it again.**_

 _ **Lots of love, Nicole.**_


	43. Love Is A Battlefield

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* * *

Jes and Antonio had each taken a couple weeks off after the wedding to spend time with the kids and to deal with the house rebuild. Their respective families had headed home a few days after the wedding to allow them time to themselves. Now it was time for them to head back to Chicago. Jes had promised Jacquie she'd come back in time for the baby to come. She also promised to make sure that P2K would be run smoothly.

"Just make sure you take care of you and that little peanut." Jes had told her.

"Little peanut?" Jacquie laughed. "Have you seen this baby's father? No way this is going to be a 'little' baby."

"Just… take it easy…" Jes made her promise. "Don't stress about anything else, got it?"

"Yes, Mom." Jacquie laughed.

They exchanged hugs before heading to the airport. Kevin was going to have to go back up until closer to her due date. It was the only way to guarantee that he'd be able to be here when the baby came.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dawson." Jes told the ticket agent as she handed her their passports. "And family."

"Yes, here you are." The ticket agent smiled. "Two infants, Mateo and Jonathan… two youths, Eva and Diego, and two adults, Jeslyn Halstead and Antonio Dawson."

Jes sighed. "Yes… um… we just got married… I guess I'm gonna have to get new passports."

"Congratulations… and yes, I would recommend it." The agent handed her back the passports and their tickets. She then checked in their luggage. "Thank you, and have a safe flight."

They headed through security and waited for Kevin to clear before heading to the gate. Jes just prayed that Mateo and Jonathan would sleep through the flight. The flight was packed and she didn't want to be 'that' mom. They got to their seats and settled in for the flight.

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* * *

"Welcome home!" Jay and Will shouted as they saw Antonio and Jes come through the arrivals gate.

"Uncle Will! Uncle Jay!" The kids ran towards them.

Jes and Antonio laughed. They put the twins into the stroller and went to join their family. They hugged Will and Jay.

"How was the flight?" Will asked.

"Meh." Diego said. "They all slept… I watched movies."

"Uh huh." Jay looked to Jes. "Tired?"

"Yeah, a little… the boys have been cranky the last couple days… and I was hoping they'd sleep through the flight."

"Did they?" Will asked, checking on his youngest nephews.

"For the most part." Antonio answered. "They hate landing and taking off."

"Most babies hate that part." Will smiled. "Want me to take a look at their ears?"

"I don't think they're sick, Will." Jes said. "They're just being babies."

"Just offering." Will said. "I only want what's best for them."

"I know." Jes smiled. "We all do… now, we're exhausted… can you take us home please?"

"Your chariots await." Jay laughed.

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* * *

Antonio and Jes had just started to doze off when Antonio's cell began ringing. He fumbled with it. "He… Hello?" He yawned. "Bianca?"

"Who's Bianca?" Jes flipped over. "Who on earth?"

Antonio waved her away. "I'm coming… just… Bianca?!" He dropped the phone to the nightstand and jumped out of bed.

"Antonio?" Jes sat up. "What the hell is going on? Who the hell is Bianca?" She grabbed the clock on the nightstand and stared at it. "And why is she calling at 3 in the morning?"

Antonio was pulling on a pair of jeans. "She's a CI… and she's talking about killing herself because the guy she's with… who she's getting info on… is cheating on her."

"Oh Lord."

"Yeah… look, babe… babe, I'm sorry… I…"

"It's the job…" Jes yawned. "I… I just want you to be safe." She pulled the blankets up around herself.

"I will be." He ran over to her, kissed her and grabbed his things from the nightstand. "Don't wait up."

She nodded and watched as he left. She curled up on his side of the bed, his residual heat and scent comforting her. No matter how much she understood the job, she didn't like these kinds of calls.

Antonio rushed to Bianca's building. No one answered her door, so he ran up all the stairs to the roof. "Bianca! I came as soon as you called."

She was staring over the edge. "Shouldn't have called you." She mumbled. "Don't know what I was thinking. I… I just know he doesn't want me no more."

Antonio took a few more steps towards her. "If Benji's cheating on you with someone else, forget him."

"I'm tired of this life, Antonio." She sighed.

Antonio could tell she was serious. "I can help you." He reached for her. "But you got to help me and tell me where Benji is."

"Just so you can go after his brother? Then what?" She was pacing the edge.

"Then they both go away for a long time… we'll help you start over." He stepped closer, keeping his hand out towards her.

"You telling the truth?" She looked at him.

He nodded. "I swear." She took his hand and he helped her off the ledge. "That's it. One step at a time."

She threw herself into his arms, sobbing. He rubbed her back. "It's gonna be okay, Bianca. I promise." She was shivering. "Okay, let's get you back into your place, warm you up."

Once he had her settled in apartment, he made her a cup of coffee. "Here."

"I'm sorry for all this, Antonio." She took a sip. She pointed to his ring. "You got remarried?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah… a couple weeks back… we just got home."

"Congrats." She smiled weakly. "I hope she treats you good."

"She does." He patted her shoulder. "You deserve someone like that too. You don't need to be with someone that can't respect you or care about you the way you deserve."

She drank more coffee. "You've always been good to me."

"You want a fresh start, I can get you that… we just need to get Benji and his brother off the street." Antonio answered.

"I'll tell you where he is… just, can you make sure he doesn't get hurt?"

"I'll do my best." Antonio smiled. "Will you be okay?"

Bianca nodded. She grabbed a pen and paper off the coffee table and jotted something down. "Here's the address."

"Thank you, Bianca… and I promise you… once this is all over, you're getting the life you deserve… away from all of this."

"Thank you, Antonio." She put the coffee down. "Go… be with your wife… tell her she got the best man there is."

He chuckled. "Will do. You get some rest… okay?" She nodded. He patted her shoulder and pocketed the paper. He headed out. "Lock the door behind me, okay." He closed the door and waited to hear the deadbolt turn in the lock. He headed home, and he'd have to give Voight this info tomorrow. There wasn't much point waking him up now, there was only 4 hours until shift started anyhow.

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* * *

Once Antonio got home, he went to the basement to work out for a bit. He didn't want to wake Jes up again. She needed her sleep, especially now, since the twins finally were both sleeping through the night. After a good hour, he went to shower and change for the day. He knew no one else would be up yet, so he started writing his report to present to Voight. For this particular situation, they'd need all their ducks in a row before making any moves. One wrong move, and they'd lose Derek Keyes. He was number 1 on Chicago's Most Wanted list and the biggest player in the heroin scene. If they got him off the streets, there'd be a lot less heroin overdoses and a lot less mess to clean up.

He looked up at the clock. Everyone would be getting up soon. He finalized his report and set to making breakfast. He made omelettes for the kids, personalized to their tastes. Diego was going through a meat on meat phase while Eva was trying out being a vegetarian. He knew it wasn't going to last long, because he'd caught her sneaking some of Jes' fried chicken a few days earlier. He then made a ham and cheese omelette for himself and Jes. He was buttering toasts when the kids came in.

"Morning, Dad." Eva sat down.

He put a plate in front of her. "Vegetarian omelette for you with extra cheese, and sausage and bacon omelette for Diego, extra cheese."

"Thanks, Dad!" They exclaimed, digging into the plates in front of them.

He could hear the twins. "Eat your breakfast, then get ready for school."

"Dad… why couldn't we keep just doing the homeschooling thing with Mom?" Diego asked.

"Because, you need routine." Antonio took a piece of toast. "Please, just get ready… it's a nice school… got a great science program and some of the best sports teams in the city." He went to get the twins out of their cribs.

Jes was already there, changing Jonathan's diaper. "Morning, babe." She smiled. "Smells good."

"Omelettes for everyone… toast… how'd you sleep?" He kissed her cheek before taking Mateo from his crib.

"The bed got mighty cold after you left." Jes said. She did up Jonathan's diaper and slipped him into a clean onesie. "How did it go?"

"I talked her off the ledge… but it's not gonna be an easy case to bring to a close."

"Can you talk about it?" Jes took Mateo from him to change his diaper.

Antonio gently rocked Jonathan who was reaching for his last bit of toast. "A little… Bianca… she's the girlfriend of one of the lieutenants of the biggest kingpin in the heroin trade here."

"Shit."

"Yeah… I prepped my report for Voight already… I have a feeling we may be working tonight… so, I will have to take a rain check for dinner tonight with my parents."

"I'll survive." Jes finished changing Mateo. "It's not the first time… most definitely won't be the last… at least your parents like me."

"I haven't met anyone that doesn't love you." He took Mateo. "Let's go eat… come on… I've got these two little monkeys." He blew onto their bellies which earned him a bunch of giggles. "I will miss that sound."

"I should just record it for you." Jes snickered as they headed to the kitchen. "Diego, Eva? All ready for school?"

"Yes." Came the sad response.

"Guys, what's wrong?"

"We don't wanna go to a real school." Diego whined.

Eva was pouting. "We like you as our teacher."

"Hey, guys… you need to be in a school… after school, I can help you… and we can do extra stuff so that you're doing what you want best. Plus, we did a lot of research to make sure the school had stuff you wanted. They have an amazing theatre program and one of the best volleyball teams in the city for you, Eva… and Diego, they've got a cutting-edge robotics program, chess team and great science labs… all the things you're both into."

"I guess."

"Then… give it a try… if by the end of this school year, it isn't a good fit, then we'll talk… but right now, you're gonna be late for school…" Jes handed them each a lunch from the fridge. "Dad's going to drive you and then I'll pick you up to go to P2K… plus… Vinessa is going to school there too." Jes reminded them.

"Come on… Let's get you to school." Antonio grabbed his coffee and his jacket. "I love you." He kissed Jes.

"Love you too." She smiled. "Be safe today."

"Always."

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"Good morning, ladies." Antonio said as he handed out folders. "This is Benji Keyes, known on the street as Benji Bones. Prior possession with intent to distribute, concealed weapon and has been ID'd as a street captain for his brother."

"Derek Keyes: number 1 on Chicago's most wanted." Voight pointed to Derek's picture on the board. "Narcotics estimates that over half of the city's heroin comes from Keyes… we've been after him for years." Voight sighed. "Every time they send in undercovers, they hit a wall."

Antonio spoke up again. "CI of mine gave up a location on Benji Bones. We grab him, he'll lead us to Derek."

"This can't be a typical grab, 'cause if Derek finds out we're unto him, he'll dive deeper underground. So, we gotta extract Benji Bones without anybody knowing." Voight scratched his chin. "This means everybody gets blacked out."

They headed to the rollout to get ready for their late-night snatch and grab. Jay hung back. "Hey, Sarge."

"Yeah?"

"Curious… have you…?"

"No."

"We traded texts a couple weeks back. You think I should reach out?"

Voight stared at him, shaking his head. "She made her choice." He stormed off to the rollout.

Jay hung his head. He was lost. While Intelligence was his family, his partner was MIA and that made him feel more alone in the world than anything.

Antonio had gone over the initial plan with everyone. He'd take the lead with Voight. Together, they'd grab Keyes and then they'd head back to the District. The others were strictly for backup and to keep an eye out that no one noticed them there. Once they were all in on the plan, he excused himself to call Jes. She needed to know it was going to be a late night and that she shouldn't wait up for him. She wasn't answering her cell so he tried the hard line for P2K.

"P2K, Jeslyn Dawson speaking." Jes answered.

"I like the sound of that." Antonio chuckled.

"Antonio!" Jes exclaimed. "Why are you calling the landline. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. We're all fine here… for now… your brother looks like he's ready to deck someone."

"Erin quitting is still eating at him, isn't it?"

"He feels betrayed… so does Voight." Antonio sighed. "I tried calling your cell but you didn't answer."

There was shuffling of paper on the other end of the line. "Oh… oops." Jes laughed. "I had it hidden under a mountain of paperwork and it was on vibrate. Sorry, babe."

"It's all good… anyhow… remember how I said I might be working late?"

Jes sighed. "You have to work late… and you're calling to tell me to have Mami and Papi over for dinner and not to stay up waiting for you?"

"You read my mind." Antonio snorted. "I'm sorry, Jes… I know you were looking forward to it."

"I get free babysitting out of the deal… and I get to learn more recipes from your mom… not gonna complain, Antonio… just sucks that you have to miss it… who knows, there may not be any food left."

"The way you and Mami cook… guaranteed there'll be enough leftovers to feed the entire district for a couple days."

"I am not that bad for over cooking!" Jes feigned being insulted.

"Mhmm… sure… whatever you say, babe." Antonio said. "I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Promise you'll be safe?"

"As safe as I can be going after guys like this." He paused. "Tell the kids I love them and give the boys a kiss from me when you go to put them to bed?"

"Always." Jes blew a kiss over the phone. "Te amo."

"Te amo, mi amor." Antonio replied before ending the call. He looked up at the clock. He had just enough time to get the plan together on paper and hand it off to the Commander for immediate approval.

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* * *

Jes was watching the clock. It was almost 3. She had to go pick up Vinessa, Eva and Diego. She went to the front desk. "Hey Bekka… I have to go pick up the kids… can you ask Rosie and Xander to hold down the fort?"

"Sure thing, Miss Jes." Her newest hire grinned. Bekka was the first face most people saw when they got to P2K. She was the one who explained the different programs as well as acted as the main receptionist. Anyone who came to P2K would have to go through her first.

Jes smiled back and headed to her vehicle. She was very curious about how the kids first day back at a real school went. She was also anxious about Antonio, but she wasn't about to let them see it. All they needed to know was that their father and uncle were working late. Their new school wasn't more than a ten-minute drive from P2K. She pulled into the visitor parking lot and made her way to the office. She had to go in and provide proof of who she was before she was able to pick up any of the children. This was one of the main reasons why they'd chosen this school over any of the others in the area. She walked into the main reception area. "Good afternoon." She said.

"Good afternoon." The older woman behind the desk smiled. "How can I help you?"

"I'm here to pick up my children, Eva and Diego Dawson, as well as my niece, Vinessa Atwater." She handed her ID over along with the notarized letter from Jacquie and Kevin stating who she was and why she was Vinessa's ride.

"Oh." The secretary took the paperwork and her driver's licence. "One moment please."

Jes nodded and went to sit down in one of the chairs nearest the desk. She watched as the secretary went into one of the offices on the opposite side of the room.

A few moments later, she returned with an middle-aged man in a three-piece suit. "Mrs. Dawson, this is Mr. Williams. He's the headmaster here."

Jes stood up and shook his hand. "Mr. Williams, a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure is all mine." He said with a British accent. "School isn't out for another 15 minutes… I was actually hoping you'd have time to speak with me."

"Of course." She said. She took her ID and the letter from Jacquie and Kevin back from the secretary and followed him into his office.

He pulled out a chair for her and went to his own behind the desk. "I met your husband when he first came to register the children a couple days ago. He's a detective, correct?"

Jes nodded. "Yes."

"He said something about you working with the new youth centre that opened last year."

"I don't just work there. I run it." Jes smiled. "I recently just went back after about 4 or so months of Mat leave."

Mr. Williams was taken by surprise. "You're… really?"

Jes nodded. "I used my maiden name to start it up and I go by Miss Jes when I'm there."

"I see."

"And you were a teacher?"

"That's correct. I taught for about 4 or 5 years before moving back to Chicago. May I ask what this is all about?"

"Well, as you know your children started school a little later than the others, and… well… they're further ahead than most of our students who are in the same grade."

"Oh." Jes wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Are Eva and Diego gifted?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't think they were ever formally tested… Diego is a very curious student so he learns quickly. Eva is a reader but she's not a fan of math or science."

"Where were they previously going to school?"

"I homeschooled them for the last school year, after their mother was killed." Jes said.

"Ah."

"Is there something wrong?"

"No… no. Quite the opposite… Seeing as they're so ahead in the programming… I was wondering if there was perhaps something we could do here to keep them busy?"

"Well… that would be a discussion you'd have to have with them, Mr. Williams. Antonio and I want them to have independence but still follow guidelines." Jes smiled. "They help out at Power 2 Kids often, and they're great with their little brothers, but we don't force them into things that they don't want to do. We forced them to come back to a real school because we wanted them to have a full rounded education."

"I understand completely." Mr. Williams nodded. "Do you have an afterschool program?"

"We have a couple different ones. We have a sports-oriented one as well as an arts program, music, culinary and tutoring. We also have a couple other programs in development. We offer courses for babysitting, first aid, mechanics and boxing. My husband owns the gym that originally partnered with our centre."

"I understand quite a few of our students attend your afterschool programs. I would like to offer a partnership of sorts."

"I'm all ears."

"We have a bus that was recently donated to us for our sports teams, which means the current bus we have doesn't get used as often. Could we perhaps use the centre for some of our events, in exchange for us providing safe transportation of your afterschool participants?"

Jes was sure her jaw was on the headmaster's desk. "Wow… um… that sounds like an amazing proposition."

"We have some teachers that are licensed to drive it and would love to do it. We've all seen what P2K does in our city. We would just like to be a part of it."

"I'd love to do that." She was grinning. "That would put a lot of parents, and a lot of us at P2K, at ease… I won't lie… we worry about some of these kids getting there in one piece considering the neighbourhoods they come from."

"We'd be willing to have our school be a rendez-vous point for other teens as well…"

"That sounds amazing, Mr. Williams." Jes was ecstatic. "Do you need me to get some paperwork together for you?"

"I actually had a proposal drawn up… I was going to come down there to meet you myself… I didn't realize your children were attending here."

"Eva and Diego are a big reason for why that centre exists… not to mention my experience teaching in inner city schools back home."

Their conversation was interrupted by a bell ringing. Mr. Williams stood up. "Classes are over. I'll have Eva, Vinessa and Diego paged down here. It's been a great pleasure, Mrs. Dawson."

"Thank you, Mr. Williams. I look forward to working with you and the school."

"Anything for the children… as clichéd as it is, they are our future." He smiled before going to asking the secretary to call the kids to the office.

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* * *

Antonio was pacing. The sun had gone down a couple hours ago. They were waiting until as late as possible to make their move. They had plain clothes officers watching Benji's house. As soon as he was asleep, that's when they'd make their move. They got the call and the loaded into their vehicles. He was the lead. Once at Benji's house, they pulled their balaclava's over their faces and made their way to his bedroom. He and Voight were going to be grabbing Benji. They made their way up the stairs. Antonio had night-vision goggles on to make sure he didn't crash into anything in the dark. He slowly opened the door and made his way to the bed to grab Benji. He holstered his sidearm as he made his way into Benji's room.

Benji was asleep but not for long. He reached for the gun he kept under his pillow. Antonio pounced, preventing Benji from making any noise, while Voight kept his gun to Benji's head.

"Chicago PD." Antonio whispered.

Voight took the gun from under Benji's pillow and put in the bag he saw on the dresser which was loaded with cash and drugs. They would need that to get Benji to cooperate with them. He was zipping up the bag as the toilet in the ensuite flushed. He went to the door and waited for whoever was on the other side to come out.

Antonio kept Benji's head down in the pillows but unholstered his own gun. Who knew who this was.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a tall, black male came out of the bathroom. Voight grabbed him and put a gun to his head. They took both men and snuck them out the way they'd originally came in.

Once everyone was loaded up, they headed back into the night to get some answers.

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* * *

Jes woke up to a text from Antonio. He hadn't come home all night but they'd caught a big break in their case, so that was a compensation. She got the older kids ready for school before getting the twins ready. She wished that she could've taken a little longer for her Mat Leave, but with Jacquie out on her own Medical Leave until the baby came, she needed to be there. Rosie and Xander were still doing great but the amount of growth that P2K had seen meant needing more hands on deck. Jes had posted some job postings and today was the day for some of the interviews. She knew a couple of the applicants, as they were currently volunteers hoping to get some work before they went off to college. She needed to make sure the boys were ready for when her in-laws would arrive to pick them up for the day. Once they were ready, she headed into the kitchen to see that Eva had made them breakfast.

"Wow! Eva… smells amazing!"

"Thanks." Eva smiled. "I tried a recipe I found while in browsing the library."

"Well, I appreciate you making breakfast for everyone."

"Dad didn't come home last night, did he?" Eva asked as she served Jes a plate with pancakes and fresh fruit with a side of turkey bacon.

"How did you know?"

"I never heard his truck leave this morning… and, he always leaves a water glass on the kitchen counter."

"Ah… so I'm not the only one who noticed that." Jes snickered. "These pancakes are amazing… what's in them?"

"Cinnamon, nutmegs, apple sauce… instead of the sugar… and flour, you know… the regular stuff… I added a little bit of oats too."

"It's delicious. You can make these any time." Jes said. "Where's Diego?"

"I'm here… I had to have a shower." Diego said.

"A shower?" Jes asked. "You usually shower at night."

"I had gym yesterday." Diego answered. "Thanks for breakfast, Eva."

Eva looked to Jes. Diego was acting strangely. They shrugged and kept eating. After eating, Jes grabbed some of her prepared bottles for the twins. She warmed them up and handed one to Eva. Together, they fed the twins.

The doorbell rang. Diego bolted up and went to answer it. Eva and Jes could hear him. "Hi, Vinessa!"

"Vinessa?" Jes asked Eva. "I don't remember…"

"Mom! Uncle Kevin would like to talk to you!" Diego called from the door.

Jes put the bottle down and went to see what was going on. "Hey… Kev… what's up?"

"I have to head back to the district… and… I was… co…" Kevin stumbled over his words.

"Can I watch Vinessa until you get this case under wraps?" Jes summarized.

Kevin nodded. "If it's not too much?"

Jes smiled. "Sure… uh… Diego… how did you know?"

"I texted him… to tell him we were on our way." Vinessa smiled. "Plus… he and I have that science project to finish too."

"Well, at least I know what you guys will be doing after school." Jes chuckled. "Go get ready for school." She turned back to Kevin. "How's everything going?"

Kevin shrugged. "As good as it can be… We're hoping to take him down this afternoon."

"Tell my husband and my brother to be safe."

"I will." Kevin hugged her. "Thanks for helping with 'Nessa."

"Anytime." Jes answered. "Get going, don't need Hank being grumpy because you're late."

"He knows I was coming to bring her here, but I get ya." Kevin waved as he ran back to his car.

Jes closed the door and prayed that her in-laws would come soon. She didn't want the kids to be late today.

* * *

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* * *

Jay was desperate. He'd been trying to get a hold of Erin for days now. He finally resorted to getting Mouse to ping her phone, despite a lot of protest from his end. He leaned up against the SUV that was parked at the club. He was going to wait until she dragged herself out of the club. He didn't know who she was with or what she was all doing, but she was better than this and she needed to see that. She needed to come back. He needed her, and not just as his lover. He was a lost in thought when the back door of the club opened and Erin, and a group of other people who looked like they were all nursing the hangover of the century, came out.

Erin whispered something to them and stalked over to Jay. "Let me guess? You made Mouse ping my phone?"

Jay glared at her, yanking her aviators from her face. "You know Voight put you on furlough? Just in case you came to your senses… well, that ends tomorrow."

"What do you want from me, Jay?"

"I want to hear you say it."

"Say what?"

"That you're no longer my partner… that you're throwing it all away…" He paused. "Look me in the eye and tell me it's over."

Erin glared at him. "You done?"

"I don't know who you are, or what you did with Lindsay, but tell her she made me a better cop… if you ever see her again." He didn't give her a chance to respond. He got in the Chrysler 300 and tore off down the street.

He pounded on the steering wheel. How she could do this to the team, herself and him, he had no idea. He was furious. He could feel the hot tears slide down his cheeks. He didn't know what was going to happen today, but he knew that it wouldn't be the same without her.

' _Maybe I should talk to Antonio?'_ He thought to himself. _'Antonio might have an idea of how I can deal with this.'_ He thought about how he'd bring it up with his brother-in-law all the way to the district. Once there, he cleared his mind and put it strictly to focusing on the case. Getting Derek Keyes today was all that mattered.

"I can't believe you're doing this." Antonio sighed. "Something happens to you; your sister is going to kill me."

Jay patted Antonio's shoulder. "That's why you're all gonna be there… You won't let anything happen to me."

"You promised Jes no more trips to the hospital… remember that." Antonio growled. "I can't shake this feeling… and now that we're married… it seems to be that much more intense at home… so, no funny business."

"We'll be able to hear and see everything with this." Mouse held up a tiny camera. "Button cam… no one will be wiser."

"See… Antonio, don't worry so much." Jay chuckled.

"Uh huh… sure… someone has to… I don't want to be the one to tell Jes… if this goes sideways."

"Don't talk about it then." Ruzek came up behind them. "You'll be the one jinxing it."

Antonio rolled his eyes and headed for the truck. He was driving with Ruzek and Atwater. Voight was going with Al. This was supposed to be cut and dry, but there was a knot in the pit of his stomach. Last time that happened, Jes had been attacked. He tried to shake it off.

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

Jes was busy ordering supplies when her cell rang. "Hey you!"

"Hey, yourself!" Jacquie's voice came through.

"I miss you!"

"I miss you too… never thought I'd say this, but I miss being in Chicago."

"Is your mom smothering you?"

"That's a nice way to put it." Jacquie groaned. "Like, she's constantly checking on me… and she won't let me make my own snacks… I drew the line at her volunteering to be in the delivery room… don't get me wrong, I love my mom, but… nope… don't need her in there seeing that."

Jes chuckled. "Well, hopefully you'll let your husband in there."

"He'd damn well better be in there… he knocked me up."

"Oh, Jacquie… I miss having you around."

"How're things out there?"

"Well, Kevin dropped Vinessa off this morning because they've got a big case… Antonio hasn't been home in two days because of said case, and I secured a safe pick up and drop off zone for the kids of P2K as well as a bus to transport them here."

"Wow… you've been busy." Jacquie replied. "It's only been a couple weeks."

"The headmaster of the kids' school wanted the partnership." Jes told her. "He said a bunch of their students are already coming here, so he was going to come here but I went there because I needed to pick up the kids."

"Wow… that's… wow." Jacquie was in shock. "It's been a little over a year and we've made such an impact."

"Never thought we'd come this far in such a short amount of time." Jes said. "Trust me… I had no idea. I just thought we'd have a few kids but, I'm actually at the point of needing to hire more staff for permanent positions. Oh, on that note, I hired a receptionist. Her name is Bekka."

"So, when I come back, I don't have to answer the phone anymore?"

Jes snickered. "Yes, that's what that means."

"Thank God." Jacquie sighed in relief. "Do you know how many times people called here thinking we were some strip joint? All because the last digit is one number off."

"Oh, I believe it." Jes had dealt with her share of those calls. "I changed the land line number now. No way we can be mistaken a strip club anymore."

"Sweet!" Jacquie squealed. "Oh, God… I really hope this baby doesn't grow anymore… I look like I swallowed a beach ball."

"I'm sure you're rocking it."

"I can't see my feet, even when I'm reclining on the couch."

"It's only a few more weeks." Jes reassured her. "Just take it easy… the kids and I will be flying up there beginning of October."

"What about their schooling?"

"Well, if they have their way, they won't be in a 'real' school too much longer."

"They don't like it?"

"Not really." Jes sighed. "They like what we had last school year, but between P2K, the twins and married life… it's hard to give their schooling the attention they need without taking away their childhood too."

"I can see that."

"Yeah… Antonio and I told them to try it… and we'll go from there."

"Would you homeschool even once they're in high school?"

"No… that needs a specialized teacher… and Eva's going to be in grade 10 next year."

"I know." Jacquie paused. "Have you started planning her quiceañera?"

"It's basically planned."

"I still can't believe she didn't want it for her actual birthday."

"Her birthday is July 4… hard to get people here for it."

"I guess."

"Plus, she was worried about what had happened with me, and the twins…"

"She's not your normal teen." Jacquie pointed out.

"No, and Diego isn't your typical 11-year-old either."

"I honestly don't know how you handle them and then the twins and Antonio's job."

"Patience."

"Ah, well yeah."

"Antonio bought the gym."

"Wh… what the fuck?"

"Yep… Matador's…"

"The one next to P2K?"

"One in the same." Jes laughed. "Jay, Roman and Antonio are all part owners and then… Hank did something… but whatever… at least we still have it."

"Yeah, but that must have come as a shock?"

"Have you met my husband?" Jes laughed. "Nothing surprises me anymore."

"Fair enough." Jacquie paused. "Hang on… Mom's going on about supper…"

Jes laughed quietly as she heard her best friend and her mom argue over chicken or pork for supper.

"I swear… I don't know why I bother giving my opinion." Jacquie said when she came back to the call.

"Somethings never change." Jes snickered. "You guys have been that way since I met you."

"Yeah, yeah… I know."

"Jacquie, you sure everything is ok?"

"Yeah… I just miss Kevin… and having him here…"

"I know… but after this week, he's on leave to go be with you."

"I know, it's just… I didn't expect this to be happening this way."

"You were having sex… and the protection failed… what did you think would happen?"

Jacquie blew a raspberry over the phone.

"Really mature for someone who's about to be a mommy." There was a knock at the door. "Hang on, Jacquie." She looked up. "What's up, Lexie?"

"Mr. P. sent me to find you… there was a fight that broke out on the basketball courts."

"Jacquie, I'll have to call you later."

"Yeah… I can hear that. I'll talk to you later. Tell Kevin to be safe… he's not answering my texts right now."

"They're on a case… Antonio hasn't answered mine either." Jes blew a kiss over the phone. "Love ya."

"Love ya too." Jacquie ended the call.

Jes ran to the basketball courts to sort this mess out.

* * *

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* * *

"Boss, should I follow that guy?" Ruzek asked.

"No, nobody moves. We can't risk scaring Derek." Voight's voice came over the walkies.

Antonio looked to the younger officer. "Didn't you pay attention to the plan?"

"Well… nothing that's happened so far is following that plan." Ruzek pointed out.

Antonio sighed and leaned back in his seat. The knot in his stomach was just getting bigger and tighter. Something was off about all this. He went back to looking at the screen that was broadcasting Jay's button cam. They were in a private hanger, which in and of itself was a complicated thing. They needed to know what was about to go down.

It wasn't long before Derek was standing in front of them, checking out Jay's story. Something was definitely not right because Derek was questioning Benji about his whereabouts the night before. Jay asked if they were there to do business or solve a family problem. It was at that point that they all knew this wasn't good. Derek drew his gun and shot Benji point blank in the head.

Voight's voice bellowed over their walkies for them to move. The button cam cut out as someone used a stun baton on Jay. The other Intelligence officers jumped out of the vehicle and tore through the parking lot and into the airport. The TSA agents and airport security pulled their weapons and began shouting at them to stop.

They had their badges and weapons drawn, shouting that they had a man passed that particular check point. The main agent allowed to pass, but they'd wasted precious time to get to where Jay had been. When they got there, Benji was still dead, and Jay was nowhere to be found.

Antonio put in the call. "This is Detective Dawson with CPD Intelligence. We got a DOA… and an officer's been abducted."

Voight walked up to Antonio. Antonio shook his head. He didn't know what to think, say or do at this point. "Sarge."

"Yeah?"

"This came from my CI… I'll take the hit."

Voight shook his head. "I'm not worried about that right now. We gotta find Jay… because you don't just have the brass to worry about… you've got your wife…"

Antonio groaned. "Yep… well, we ain't tell her squat until we know something concrete."

"Deal." He looked to the others. "Where are we with the SUV?"

"All patrol units are searching but…" Ruzek started.

Atwater finished. "Problem is… there's no plates."

Voight went through everything else. This had all be planned meticulously and their only lead was lying on the hangar floor with his brains strew about. "Back to the District… let's solve this…" Voight and Al stalked out of the hanger to Voight's Escalade.

* * *

Kevin and Antonio stared at each other.

Ruzek opened his mouth. "Keyes shot and killed his own brother… What do you think he's gonna do to Halstead?"

Antonio glared at him while Kevin smacked him outside the head. They headed back to Antonio's truck and prayed they'd get some answers before Jes had to find out.

* * *

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* * *

Jes had had to call parents or guardians to deal with the aftermath of the fist fights. She also called Trudy to have her send over a couple patrol men. Not only had it been fist fight, part of it had been a gang initiation gone wrong. That particular young man had been taken into CPD custody, and was now banned from P2K. Jes didn't want to do it, but he had been sent in strictly with the purpose of trying to kill a former drug runner for a rival gang. She had never wanted this to happen, but she also knew that a message needed to be passed along to the gangs that they weren't going to mess with the work she was doing. She also knew that she wouldn't be hearing the end of it from Jay and Antonio when they found out. They didn't want her taking unnecessary risks, but this was her job now. She was filling out the report that she'd have to submit as well as the report for the CPD.

"Mom?" Diego poked his head in the office.

"Hey, buddy." She smiled. "Come in… what's up?"

"Why were the cops here?" He sat on the couch.

"UH…" Jes didn't want him freaking out. "There was a fight… and it needed to be dealt with at a higher level than what we can deal with here."

"Does Dad know?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"If I don't, pretty sure Sergeant Platt will." Jes sighed. "You okay?"

"Yeah… I was worried about you."

"Me?" Jes asked.

"Yeah… you went in there to break it up… they could've hurt you."

"I'm pretty sure I can handle myself, but I appreciate you're caring." Jes got up and went to hug him. "Uncle Jay and your dad made sure I could protect myself."

"Like he does with Eva and I?"

Jes laughed. "Yeah… like that. By the way, where is your sister?"

"Helping Vinessa with her history assignment." Diego replied.

"Ah… and what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go next door and practice with the speed bag."

"Is your homework done?"

"Yes, Mom." Diego rolled his eyes. "These teachers think that I'm at the same place as the others… everything they're teaching me, we did last year… when you taught me."

"I know that… I spoke with your principal… remember?"

"Can we maybe find a middle ground? I hate twiddling my thumbs while everyone else is so behind."

"I'll talk to your dad… in the meantime… go practice… I'll come get you when it's time to go home."

Diego nodded and bolted from her office, barely missing Xander who was coming to see her.

"Xander." Jes greeted him.

"Hey, Jes."

"What's going on?"

"Sergeant Platt is on the phone for you… says it's important."

"Thanks… uh, it's probably about that fight… stick around." Jes picked up the phone and answered the line. "Jes Dawson."

"Jes, it's Trudy."

"Hi, Trudy… how can I help you?"

"It's about that kid that you had picked up."

"Sure."

"I need you to come pick him out of a line up and make a formal statement here at the District."

"Oh, sure… when?"

"The sooner the better… we've got other charges we can put on this guy."

"How old is he?"

"Believe it or not, he's 20… he just looks way younger." Trudy sighed. "When do you think you'll be able to get here?"

Jes asked her to hold and she covered the phone. "Can you hold down the fort while I head over to the District and deal with this?"

Xander nodded. "Sure thing. If you need anything else, just call."

"I'm heading over there right now."

"Perfect… I'll see you in a few." Trudy hung up.

Jes grabbed her purse and keys and made her way to her Journey.

* * *

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* * *

Hank was in the middle of questioning Antonio's CI when Platt barged in. "Hank, I'm sorry, I don't mean to interrupt." She said as Hank glared at her. "But there's a very determined young man downstairs who says he wants to speak to you and you only."

Hank growled, got up and stormed down the stairs. He saw a young black kid sitting on the bench in front of the front desk. When the kid saw him, he stood up and asked. "You the sergeant?"

Hank nodded. "That's right."

"I'm supposed to give this to you."

"All right. Who told you to give it to me?"

"I was on my bike when some dude rolls up, offers me a C-note to bring this and ask for you."

Hank took the box and nodded. "Okay, well… thanks."

The kid nodded and took off. Hank looked to Trudy. Neither of them knew what was in the box, but whatever it was, it had to do with Jay. They headed back upstairs to open the box with the rest of the team.

"What's that, Sarge?" Ruzek asked.

"Dunno… we're about to find out." He put the box on Antonio's desk. He flicked the lid open. It was a DVD and a burner cell.

Antonio took the disc and inserted it into his computer. "It's a video file."

"Open it." Hank said.

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

"Hey Kim!" Jes greeted her as she came into the District.

"Jes!" She smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Trudy called about that guy Patrol hauled off from P2K this morning."

"Oh!" Kim exclaimed. "Yeah, uh Platt's upstairs. I'll buzz you up."

"Thanks!" Jes grinned. She ran up the stairs and opened the gate as it buzzed. She slowly made her way up the stairs. She could hear weird noises coming from the Intelligence bullpen. She got towards the top and saw that everyone was gathered around Antonio's desk. She quietly walked up and that's when she saw it. Her big brother was on the monitor and he was crying out in pain. "What the fuck!?" She exclaimed.

Antonio hit pause on the computer as everyone spun around. "Jes!" He pushed his way through the others to his wife. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm… I… Trudy… called…"

"It was about what went down at P2K." Trudy spoke up. "It was before all this happened."

"What happened at P2K?" Antonio asked.

"Not the problem right now, Antonio!" Jes exclaimed. "Where is Jay? What is that…" A sob escaped her throat as she pointed to his computer monitor.

He tried to pull her away. He didn't want her to see this. "Jes…"

"No!" She screeched. She pulled away from him. "WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!"

Antonio looked to Voight. Voight shrugged. Neither of them had wanted this but they couldn't go back in time. Antonio sighed. "The case… went sideways… Jay went on an undercover buy… and he was taken."

Jes' scream at that news wasn't human. She collapsed to her knees. Antonio tried to comfort her but she swatted him away. She wept uncontrollably. Trudy and Al were the only ones that Jes would let near her. They helped her up and to the kitchen area. Antonio ran his hands through his hair.

Voight walked over to him. "You gotta calm her down."

Antonio glared at him. "No shit." He groaned. "Sorry, Boss."

"Just… do what you can… we need to get Jay back… for everyone's sake… I'm pretty sure that that pretty wife of yours will go kill Keyes herself if we don't get Jay back."

Antonio nodded and made his way to the kitchen. He looked in the window before opening the door. Al was making Jes some tea while Trudy was giving her tissue after tissue and rubbing her shoulder. He was beating himself up. Whether or not anyone else thought he was to blame, he sure as hell felt that this was his fault. This came from his CI. It was his plan that had gone sideways. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

Trudy looked up and shook his head. He knew that what meant. It meant that Jes wasn't ready to talk, but he had to try. Al handed him the tea he'd made for Jes and patted him on the shoulder. Trudy put the tissues on the side table next to Jes and left, closing the door behind her.

"Jes."

She didn't look up at him.

"Baby."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the tissue in her hand. "What?!" She snapped.

Antonio took a step back. He hadn't seen her like this. She was bitter. "I'm sorry."

Jes got up and stalked over to him. She slapped him across the face, hard. "HOW COULD YOU?! HOW COULD YOU LET HIM DO THAT?!" She pounded on his chest. "Why?" She continued to pound on his chest.

He would take the pain and bruises if it meant that she wouldn't be hurting anymore.

"Why did it have to… be… him!?" She wailed. "Anybody… else… why… Jay?" She collapsed to her knees. "Why?!"

Antonio knelt next to her. "Jes, I can't… I can't say I'm sorry enough… and I can't make you stop hating me for this… but I didn't pick him… he…" His voice cracked. "He volunteered."

Jes' head shot up. "What?!"

"He volunteered to do this." Antonio whispered. "I didn't want him to."

Atwater poked his head into the kitchen. "Keyes is calling Voight."

Antonio nodded. "Come on… let's go see what's going on… okay?"

Jes nodded slowly.

"Jes, I promise… we will get him back." He took her hand and they went to the bullpen to find out what Keyes really wanted.

"What'd he want?" Antonio asked as Voight ended the call.

"Halstead's life… for all our CI files."

Ruzek piped up. "Well, that's easy… right? We just hand over the files, right?"

Antonio let the cop in him come out. "Whoa! There's over a hundred CIs in our database. A couple dozen are mine! Half have wives and kids. I'm not gonna have their blood on my hands if their names get leaked."

Adam and Jes, for the first time ever, screamed at him. "So, you'd rather protect them and bury Jay?"

Antonio was caught between a rock, a wall and a boulder crashing down on top of him. "NO! Of course, I wouldn't!"

Atwater pulled Adam back while Voight and Al kept Jes was jumping Antonio. "Ok! Hey, hey… back off."

"It ain't gonna get that far." Hank growled. "Grab Mouse. You're gonna start creating false files."

Jes knew what had to happen. She glared at her husband and stormed out of the bullpen.

"Jes!" Antonio went to chase after her.

Kevin grabbed him and kept him back. "Let her go, man… we gotta do our part to get him back… or I'll be burying two partners."

Antonio shook his head and fought back the tears that threatened to overtake him. His brother was being held hostage, his CIs depended on him to protect him and his wife blamed him for all of this mess.

* * *

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* * *

Erin was lying in bed. Her head was throbbing. She was thinking about Jay and what he'd said. She was tempted to grab her cell to call him. She didn't know what she'd say, but she knew deep down, he was right. She was reaching for her cell when a commotion at the front door caused her to reach for her gun and dash to the door.

"What's the problem?!" She shouted at Jo-Jo.

He put his hands in the air. "Whoa, whoa… no problem." He stammered. "It's… your mom thinks she's a math whiz."

"You said 50 bucks." Bunny snapped at him.

"50 for 20… you want 40." He paused. He knew that pissing Bunny off would piss Erin off and she was the one with the gun. "I'll give it to you for 80."

Bunny turned to Erin and held her hand out. "You got 30 bucks?"

Erin arched an eyebrow.

"I'm good for it."

Erin sighed and pulled some bills from her pocket.

Bunny tossed the money in Jo-Jo's face, yanking the pills from his hand. "Thank you, baby." She slammed the door in his face.

Erin collapsed on the couch and took some of the pills Bunny put in her hand. She listened to her mom ramble off about some bullshit about back in the day. Her head jolted up when there was pounding at the door. She had had enough of Bunny and her bullshit for one day. She grabbed her gun and went back to the door to give whoever it was a piece of her mind.

She yanked the door open and began to speak but was stopped really fast as a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked the gun from her hand. "What the…"

"You bitch!" A shrill voice screeched before a solid fist came in contact with Erin's nose.

Bunny came running to see what the commotion. "What the hell!?"

Jes picked Erin's gun up and pointed it at Bunny. "Back off you, you lying snake."

"Erin, who…"

"Mom, back off." Erin groaned. "Jes… what the fuck?"

Jes quickly undid the gun, the way Jay had taught her and tossed it before tackling Erin to the ground and starting whaling on her. "This! Is! All! Your! Fault!" Jes was screaming at her.

Erin tried protecting herself but Jes wasn't going for her face. Jes knew that when she was done, Erin was going to have to fix this. She delivered body blows. Jes continued to scream at her. Finally, Jes' arms weighed heavier than lead weights and she collapsed next to Erin.

Erin groaned. "J… wh… ow!"

"You want me to call the cops?" Bunny asked from behind the couch.

"Good fucking luck with that." Jes growled. "I guarantee, I drop Hank's name… or my husband's and you'll be shit outta luck."

"Just who the fuck are you?"

"Jeslyn Dawson." Jes got up. "Antonio's wife… Jay's sister… and she's the reason my brother is missing, and is at risk of being killed… so now, she's going to fix it… or I'll deal with the both of you, and you won't like it."

At the mention of Antonio and Voight, Bunny scampered off. Jes grabbed Erin's arm and yanked her up. It wasn't hard considering Erin was high and Jes was beyond pissed off.

"Erin, you listen and you listen good, got it?" Jes growled.

Erin nodded. "Got it."

"Now, Jay has been kidnapped… by Derek Keyes… he volunteered… to go undercover, to get dirt on him… Antonio feels guilty because he got the lead from his CI… Keyes… he shot his own brother in the head before taking Jay… HIS OWN BROTHER!" Jes shook her. "My brother went there without his partner, because you were here, doing god knows what with that psychotic mother of yours, moping over something that didn't just affect you."

"Wh… Jay… taken?" Erin was trying to force herself to focus.

Jes growled. "Yes!" She slapped her. "Snap out of whatever trance you're in! This is all on you! You fucking abandoned him for what?! Because you blame yourself for what some sick psycho did? You didn't suffer the way Nadia or I did and you have NO FUCKING RIGHT to mope like this… you want blood on your hands… let Jay die… because that'll be on you!" Jes threw the gun and clip out of the open window and stormed off.

Erin was shaking when Bunny came to her side with her cell. "It won't stop ringing…" Bunny scampered off.

Erin looked at the caller ID. She answered the call. "Al?"

"Hey… I know you're on the outs and… you gotta lot… but, I figured you'd want to know that Jay's been kidnapped."

"Uh… thanks…" Erin ended the call. She rubbed her jaw from where Jes had hit her. She had to fix this. She knew that she'd fucked up and now she had to fix it. She couldn't let Jay die because she'd been stupid.

* * *

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* * *

Jes headed home. Her in-laws had taken the kids to make sure they didn't find out about Jay. The twins had stopped breast feeding of their own choosing, so it made life a tad bit easier when they had to be away from Jes. She headed straight for the kitchen when she got home. She still hadn't heard anything concerning Jay, but she also knew Antonio would be coming home. Kevin had texted her to let her know that they'd all be going home for the night. She suspected that she may be the cause of that, considering the scene she'd made at the District. She was actually surprised that Hank hadn't had her arrested. She grabbed a bunch of veggies, a cutting board and her chef's knife and started chopping. She was taking all her anger out on the vegetables. She wished she could put Keyes' head on the board but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

Antonio parked his truck and killed the ignition. He knew Jes was home and he also knew that his kids weren't. His mother had called to give him the head's up. He was thankful for it. He knew damn well that Jes wasn't done with him yet. Whether or not he was really to blame for Jay being taken, he felt guilty as hell. They had to get Jay back, or he was certain he'd be losing his family again. He grabbed his jacket and headed into the house.

It was eerily quiet. All he could hear was the sound of a knife on a cutting board in the kitchen. He hung up his coat and went into the kitchen. He could see that Jes was at her breaking point. The last time she'd been this upset was after Yates had caused her to have Mateo and Jonathan early. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"Antonio." Jes mumbled.

"Hi." He whispered. "Baby… put the knife down, please?"

Jes looked up at him. Her bottom lip was quivering. She put the knife down and ran into his arms, burying her face in his chest. It was then that she allowed the flood gates to open. "I can't lose him!"

Antonio wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I know… you're not going to."

"How… how… ca… can you guarantee that?"

"Because we've got a plan… we just need to put it in motion tomorrow morning." He kissed her forehead. "I won't stop until I bring him home." He brushed her bangs from her face. "Where did you go after you left the Disctrict?"

"I plead the 5th."

"Jeslyn… what did you do?"

Jes spun around. "Do you really wanna know?"

"Baby, I love you… no matter what." He took her left hand. "That's what these rings mean. What did you do?"

"I kicked Erin's ass."

Antonio's jaw dropped. "You did what?!"

"I don't blame you for this. This is all on her and her stupidity. I went there, kicked her ass and let her know that if something happens to Jay, what I started, I'm damn well gonna finish."

"Oh Lord." Antonio groaned. "What did she say? Did she fight back?"

Jes snorted. "Hell no! She was so gorked out her mind on whatever drugs Bunny's been feeding her."

"Jes… Erin made her mind up…"

"Her making her mind up could cost my brother his life… and cause you to carry a guilt on your shoulders that isn't yours to bear."

"Jeslyn."

"No, Antonio. It's the truth. I may have blamed you earlier, but I know damn well that Jay only volunteered for this because he thinks he has a point to prove… and that's only been happening since she quit. I won't stand by and let him die because she can't solve her shit." Jes wasn't going to back down.

Antonio sighed. "Okay… well, whatever happens there, I won't say anything, but know this… whether Erin helps us or not… I'm not letting Keyes kill your brother. Knowing what you did today, I know you'll find Keyes and kill him yourself."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you're like Liam Neeson in 'Taken'."

Jes thought about that. "I take that as a compliment."

"I give up." Antonio tossed his hands up in the air. "Go, sit, have some of that wine I got you and I'm gonna finish supper."

"You don't even know what I'm making."

"There's a salmon on the counter, rice in the rice cooker and a bunch of veggies… I'll grill the salmon and make a nice salad. Now, sit and have some wine."

* * *

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* * *

Antonio had taken quite a while to get Jes calm enough to try to sleep. Once he had her sleeping, he just held her. He didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, but he needed to hold her at that moment. He had to let her know that she wasn't going to lose a brother. When the alarm rang the next morning, he got up, got ready and made breakfast for both of them. Jes had taken a personal day. She was going to be waiting at the District for news on Jay. Hank hadn't said no. He knew how important Jay was to her, and she still had him wrapped around her little finger. They ate, and made their way to the District.

Antonio didn't know who was more surprised when Erin walked up the steps into Intelligence to offer to make the exchange. He also didn't know what was said behind the closed door of Voight's office, but it ended with Erin going to make the exchange. They went to take their positions to make the take down when Jay was safe.

Adam and Kevin were riding with Antonio again. They had the clearest line of sight on where the meet was supposed to happen.

"We got a gun." Adam spoke into their radios.

"Hold steady until I say." Voight's reply was blunt.

They continued to watch. Antonio groaned as he watched Lindsay get into the suspects' SUV.

"Should we move in?" Adam asked.

Antonio swore that Adam was always asking stupid questions at the worse time.

"Negative." Voight said. "There's no Halstead."

Adam then suggested that they follow them.

"NO! I said we hold back." Voight exclaimed. "Let her go."

Antonio knew that Voight didn't want to do that, but he also knew that they had to trust in Erin to do the right thing. She had to. They made their way back to the District. They were going to talk to Mouse on how far he had been able to track the SUV and Erin.

"They positively ID'd the SUV on Mouse's intel, but it got lost under the Wabash L train." Voight informed the team.

Antonio sighed. "Look, it's not gonna be long before Derek figures out the files we made are fake."

Voight stopped him as his cell rang. He nodded along and thanked 'Eddie' for the information. He looked to Mouse. "Tyrell Chase."

Mouse's fingers flew across the keyboard. "Visitors were his mother, sister and some guy listed as his cousin. A Kris Dunning." Mouse pulled up Dunning's picture.

"He was at Midway." Antonio recognized him instantly.

"Okay… so, he did 3 years for aggravated assault." Mouse said. "Skipped out on parole and went off…"

"Mouse, deed search." Voight didn't have time for the novel. He needed the Cliff Notes version. "See if he has any property."

Antonio knew where Voight was going with this. Keyes wouldn't risk anything being in his name, so he'd get his buddies to do the work for him.

"Nothing."

They were all scratching their heads. It was then that Jes came out of the kitchen area to get an update. "What's goin' on?"

"Uh." Adam looked to Voight.

Voight nodded and turned to Jes. "We have a possibility… we're trying to look for Keyes through an associate, but we're not finding anything."

"What about his mom?" Jes asked.

"Keyes' mom is dead."

"Not his mom… the associate's mom. They may be drug dealers, but they're not that stupid to make it obvious for the cops to find them."

Voight smiled a little. "You sure you're aiming for another career change?"

"Hell no!" Jes exclaimed. "Having a husband, brother and my best friend's husband all being cops in the same unit… nope. I'm good. I'm just thinking outside the box to save my brother."

"Got the mom's name. Jill Dunning. She's got a '96 beige compact and had a house in Englewood foreclosed on a couple years back." Mouse hit a few more keys. "Wait… hang on… She bought a house in Hyde Park for over $2 million less than a year ago."

That got everyone's attention.

"Sounds a little rag-to-riches, don't it?" Mouse asked.

"Text us the address." Voight smiled. "Let's bring them home."

Antonio patted Mouse's shoulder. "Good work, bro." He raced after the others out of the bullpen and to the rollout.

Jes hugged him. "Thank you, Mouse. Thank you."

"Any time." Mouse's cheeks filled with colour. He'd always had a crush on Jes, but he wasn't about to say anything. "Anything to get Jay home where he belongs."

The team pulled up to a huge mansion. There was no way that Jill Dunning had actually bought this. They were in the right place. They took their positions and burst through the doors. They started clearing rooms and arresting Derek Keyes' men one at a time. They were working their way to the office when gunshots rang out from behind closed doors. Antonio rushed ahead of the others. The doors opened and Erin was standing there. She was covered in blood, and they could assume it wasn't hers. Her handed Voight a revolver before walking out of the house.

Antonio rushed into the room, stepping over one body to get to Jay on the couch. "Bro! You okay?!"

Jay nodded weakly. "Yeah… fuck… get me outta here."

Antonio cut the binds around his brother-in-law's hands. "Let's get you in an ambo… before your sister goes to Defcon 1."

"She… that pissed?" Jay asked as Antonio helped him off the couch.

"She beat the shit out of Erin… beat my chest and almost took Ruzek out, so yeah, you could say she's pissed."

"Antonio?" His radio squawked.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"Answer your phone… your wife is being a little persistent."

Antonio chuckled and took his cell to see that Jes was calling.

"Antonio! Do you have him?! Is he okay? Can I talk to him?"

"Jes, slow down. Yes, I have him… considering the beating he took, he's okay… and once I have him sitting on a stretcher on the way to Med, you can talk to him, okay?"

Jes heaved a sigh of relief. "I'll meet you at Med." She hung up.

"Jes?" Antonio looked at his phone. "She hung up?"

Jay laughed, even though his ribs were killing him. "Sounds like my sister."

Antonio shook his head. "Let's get you over there… I suspect she'll be giving you a piece of her mind."

"I'll take it."

Antonio helped him onto the stretcher. "Jay… I gotta know… why did you volunteer to do this? And don't give me some bullshit that you had to."

Jay sighed. "I did have to… I'm not as known as you, or Voight… not to mention I didn't spend a lot of time on patrol."

"This is to prove a point, isn't it?"

"Antonio."

"No, Jay… I need to know… because, you don't tell me, Jes _will_ get it out of you."

Jay hung his head. "I don't know why… I don't know if it was because of the tornado… or because Erin walked out on me and the team… or maybe I just had a death wish."

"You better hope Jes doesn't hear that last one… she'll kill you, bring you back to life and kill you again." Antonio got into the ambulance next to Jay.

"Why is Erin here?" Jay asked as the paramedic began to check him over.

"She's here because your sister literally kicked her ass." Antonio chuckled. "All those self-defence classes and my boxing lessons has taught her how to really pack a punch."

"Great." Jay laid back against the stretcher.

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* * *

Jes was pacing the waiting room at Med. Will had been dealing with a patient when Maggie came to grab him to help calm Jes. He handed the patient off to Ethan Choi before going to stop his sister from wearing out the floor.

"Jes." Will grabbed her by the shoulder. "Whoa. Okay, you're making everyone very anxious… let's go over here, okay?"

Jes nodded. She wanted to know about Jay. She followed Will as he brought her back towards the staff lounge area of the ED. She sat in the chair he presented her. "Is Jay here yet?"

Will scratched his head. "What do you mean, 'Is Jay here yet'?"

Jes looked at her oldest brother, dumbfounded. "Jay wa… wait, no one told you?"

"Told me what?!"

"Jay was taken hostage on a UC job… yesterday… they got him back now, but he was beaten… badly."

"Why didn't anyone call me?" Will sat next to her.

"I thought they had." Jes insisted. "Though, this isn't coming as a surprise… they didn't want me to find out."

"Then how the hell did you find out?"

"I went to the District to file paperwork about something that happened at P2K… and I saw the video that the bastard sent of Jay being tortured."

"And you didn't call me?" Will was hurt.

"I thought they'd get the hint with how I reacted. I actually hit Antonio."

Will was surprised, but wasn't at the same time. Jes was driven by her love of family and by her emotions. If she was angry, they'd feel her wrath. "Okay, so they'd on their way here."

Jes nodded. "Yeah… I called Antonio and said they were bringing him here."

"Okay, I'll get my best docs to work on him… I can't."

"You did for me." Jes reminded him.

"That was different… Jay isn't dying… trust me, Ethan is a Navy corps man… he knows what to do." Will took her hands. "I promise you, he's going to get the best care… and a good piece of my mind on being so stupid."

"Get in line… pretty sure Antonio and Hank already let him have it… and I'm next."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I know that Erin quitting is what's pushing our brother to do such stupid things."

"Okay…"

"So, I found where she was… and kicked her ass."

"You did what?!" Will couldn't believe his ears.

"I let her know that whatever happened to Jay was her fault and if he was killed, the blood would be on her hands, and I'd finish what I'd started."

"Who are you and what did you do to my sister?"

Jes smirked. "I'm not going to just stand by and let people attack my family."

"Remind me never to piss you off… this new you is scaring me a bit."

The door to the staff lounge opened and Maggie poked her head in. "Uh, Dr. Halstead, your brother is here… and your brother-in-law." She saw Jes' face change to panic. "Antonio's not hurt… he's just making sure Jay got here in one piece."

Jes sat back down. Will patted her shoulder. "Thanks, Maggie… could you bring Antonio back here and I'll go check on Jay. Ask Dr. Choi to join me please."

"Of course." Maggie nodded as she went off to fetch Antonio and send Ethan to Jay's exam room.

Jes was spinning her wedding rings around on her finger when Antonio opened the door. He was still wearing his Kevlar vest. She jumped into his open arms. "Thank God."

"Yeah… he's gonna be off for a few days, I think, but he's alive."

"I'm taking you talked to him?" She asked.

"Yeah… he's not sure why he volunteered for this, but he's very aware at how pissed you are at him."

"You told him I hit you?"

"Me, Erin, Ruzek… he gets it… I'm pretty sure he won't be doing something so stupid again for a very long time."

"Did Erin actually help save him?"

Antonio nodded. "Whatever you said to her, worked… she killed Keyes and his bodyguard."

"I may not like her, but I know how much Jay cares for her… I knew that she'd be the one to do something to get him home, because whether or not she wants to admit it, she loves Jay."

"Well, we're not blind to that… and I'm pretty sure we're all seeing it."

"What will Hank do about it?"

"I don't know… I think he'd rather have them together if it means Erin stays on the straight and narrow."

Jes laid her head against his chest. "I just want him to stop doing stupid stunts."

The sat together on the couch that was in the lounge and waited for news on Jay.

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* * *

 _ **Okay… I know! Long chapter. 12000+ words and I've been working on this for a while. I will be updating 'Should've Been Us' very soon as well… and no, I didn't forget about my Brettonio stories (these can be found on Wattpad or Tumblr)… I have a bunch of prompts lined up and I will be posting them as soon as I update my other stories. I want to thank you so much for your patience for this chapter. Means so much to me! We're finally up to season 3 of PD. Cheers and let me know what you think! Nicole**_


	44. Something Big

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* * *

Jes and Antonio were still waiting for news on Jay when Will came up to join them. "Jes, Antonio!"

Jes lifted her head from Antonio's shoulder. "Will?" She got up and hugged her brother. "Anything?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I just got a page from Connor to meet him here."

"Connor?"

"Dr. Rhodes." Antonio filled in the blanks.

"Oh!" Jes rubbed her eyes. She was beat. "Right. He's the one taking care of Jay?"

Will nodded. "Yep. He's the best one. Ethan Choi helped too, but he got called into a mass casualty from a gang shooting, so Connor took over."

"Oh." Jes sighed. Chicago was still as violent as ever. "What time is it?"

"Just after 9." Will said.

"Why does it feel like it's two in the morning?" Jes stretched.

"Probably has something to do with Jonathan and Mateo taking turns sleeping and keeping you awake." Antonio rubbed her back. "They seem to think synchronized swimming is a bad idea."

"Ah." Will knew that Jes was still adjusting, despite the twins being 4 months old already. "They'll get there, there's really no rule of thumb when it comes to babies."

"Oh, I know. I've been told." She sighed. "I just… oh, is that Connor?" She pointed to a tall man with black hair in purple scrubs coming towards them.

Will got up. "Dr. Connor Rhodees, my sister, Jeslyn Dawson and my brother-in-law, Antonio Dawson. He works with Jay."

Connor shook all their hands. "Nice to meet you. Uh, so Jay's resting. A few broken ribs, a couple others are cracked. He's got some minor electrical burns and bruises. He'll need a week or so to recover enough to go back to work, but he'll be fine."

Jes heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God. Thank you, Dr. Rhodes. Thank you so much." She shook his hand vigorously.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Dawson."

"Jes. Just, Jes." She grinned. "Would it be possible to see him?"

"Sure." Connor smiled. "He'll be a little groggy from the pain meds, but he'll probably do well with a quick visit."

"Thanks again, Connor." Will shook his hand.

"No problem." Connor nodded and headed off to the ED.

"Shall we?" Will asked.

"We shall." Jes gripped Antonio's hand and they made their way to Jay's room.

* * *

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* * *

Jay was trying to get into a comfortable position in the bed, but between busted ribs and it being a hospital bed, it was next to impossible. He turned as he heard the door to his room slide open. "Jes." He said as he saw his baby sister. "Antonio, Will." He greeted the other two men as they slipped into the room.

Jes rushed to Jay's side and gingerly took his hand. "Hey." She tried to mask the fear and anger she was feeling, but she wasn't overly convincing.

"You're upset."

"That's putting it mildly." Will said from the foot of the bed. "She almost attacked a few of the nurses in the ED…"

"Hey, I got hit too!" Antonio said as he stood behind Jes, hands gently resting on her shoulders.

"I apologized already, for all of it." Jes said. "You promised no more hospitals… remember?"

"I… I know." Jay hung his head. "I'm sorry, Jes."

"Jay, between you and Antonio, I know I'll always be worried, but it really doesn't help when you keep landing yourself here."

"I didn't really do it on purpose." Jay said. "The case went sideways."

"Well, the bastards are dead, so who cares." Antonio said. "It's over."

"Yeah." Jay sighed. "I hear you had a part to play in that." Jay looked straight at Jes.

"How exactly did I play a role? I got up in everyone's face and beat on my husband when I saw the ransom video." Jes said.

"You went after Erin." Jay took her hand. "Whatever you did, it woke her up."

"Well, I know damn well that she was the only one that could make you listen to reason. After she left, you went down a different rabbit hole. I warned Antonio that you may even have had a death wish because of her."

Jay sighed. "I promise, no more stupid stunts."

"I'll actually believe you when I see it." Jes crossed her arms.

"Jes, come on." Jay pleaded.

"Jay, between you and Antonio, I've started going grey at 27." Jes pouted. "I think I'm more stressed worrying about you guys than I ever was teaching high school full time."

"Jes, it's not that bad." Antonio kissed the top of her head. "I also don't see a single grey hair on this pretty head of yours."

"Okay, okay, you guys. How about we let Jay get some rest and we can deal with all this in the morning?" Will intervened.

"Okay." Jay didn't want them to go because that meant he'd be stuck in this room alone again.

"Hey," Jes got up and kissed Jay on the cheek. "I'll pop by with the twins tomorrow. They'll cure you real quick."

"I'm holding you to that." Jay smiled. He fist-bumped Antonio.

"Get some rest, bro. Enjoy some time off." Antonio patted his shoulder before leading Jes out of the room.

Will did a final check on Jay before signing over all his cases to the night doctor and followed Antonio and Jes out of Med. "We should head over to Molly's… let everyone know he'll be okay."

"My parents are still watching the kids." Antonio said. He looked to Jes. "Whatta ya say?"

"Sure… I could use a drink." She smiled. "A good stiff one."

"It's on me." Will chuckled.

* * *

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* * *

After a couple hours at Molly's, Antonio and Jes got a ride home. His parents had brought the kids home already.

"Thank you so much… for all of this." Jes thanked her in-laws.

"Mija, don't thank us for doing what family does." Emmanuel hugged her. "We'll always be here for you and the children."

"How is Jay doing?" Constanza asked.

"He'll be okay. I'm not done yelling at him for this, but he'll be okay." Jes grinned.

"She's not kidding about yelling at him…" Antonio shook his head. "But, for once I agree with her. He was a little reckless."

They headed to the kitchen to chat a little longer before the older Dawson couple got ready to head home. As they made their way to the front door, one of the twins began to whimper. Jes hugged her in-laws and went to see which twin was making a fuss.

"Mijo…" Constanza took her son's hands. "Keep a close eye on her. This has been an eventful year."

"Oh, don't worry. I will." He kissed her cheek. "Thanks for everything again."

"We're planning our annual trip back to the Dominican." His dad told him. "Let us know if you'll need anything."

"How long will you be going for?"

"We'll be gone for the holidays this year." Emmanuel whispered. "Your uncle isn't doing well and well… he's alone."

"It's okay, Papi. Jes will understand." Antonio hugged his father tightly. Family was everything to them. "I plan on taking Jes out there for our one year anniversary. The twins will be old enough by then."

"It's a good plan." Emmanuel bid a final good night and helped his wife to their car.

Antonio closed the door, locked it and set the alarm. He headed up to the nursery. "Hey, everything okay?"

Jes nodded. She was just tucking Jonathan back into the crib. "He must have heard us and that's why he woke up." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. She walked over to Antonio and put her arms around him. "I'm beat."

"I don't doubt it." He kissed her forehead. "Let's go to bed. We'll have an early enough day with the kids tomorrow."

"Hm." She sighed. "I know. I have to organize stuff for when I head out to be with Jacquie too."

"Ah, yes." He smiled. "The kids are excited about two Thanksgivings."

"I'm not." Jes groaned. "I love cooking but two turkey meals within a month of each other, no thanks."

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* * *

Jes had her hands full. The twins had caught a cold, Eva was starting to have the sniffles and the water main next to P2K had been ruptured by a construction crew overnight. She decided that it wasn't safe to have the kids at P2K if there was no running water, not to mention it was against the law. A city worker promised to get water up again by the next day, but Jes wasn't holding her breath. It seemed that lately, the city was starting to fall apart and their alderman wasn't doing anything to help them. She was thankful though, at least she could stay home and tend to her children. She didn't want to risk her in-laws getting sick either.

"Mom?" Diego asked.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"How long is P2K gonna be closed?"

Jes sighed. "Absolutely no idea. It's a city problem, and sadly… they're not the fastest group of people."

"I don't mind coming home after school, but I'll be the only one of my close friends there… Vinessa is sick, Eva is sick… the Chess club is on a break…"

Jes hugged him. "How about we go see a movie once everyone's feeling back to normal?"

"Any movie?" He questioned.

"Within reason." She laughed. The doorbell rang. "Can you go get that? I'm gonna make some breakfast for your sister."

"Sure thing." He took off to the door. He opened it and exclaimed. "Uncle Jay!"

"Hey, Diego." Jay hugged his oldest nephew. "You know what's going on at P2K?"

"Didn't you hear?" Diego was surprised.

"Uh, nope." Jay came into the house and closed the door. "Wanna fill me in?"

"Well, some stupid construction guys hit the water line and Mom said that it's illegal or something to have people in a building without running water or something."

Jay laughed at Diego's attempt to describe the situation. "Well, it's not safe. It would be the same thing if the power went out."

"Well, anyhow, she thinks that the workers are morons and she's not sure when the water will back. Doesn't help that Mateo, Jonathan and Eva are all sick." Diego emphasized the 'and'.

"All three of them?" Jay slipped his shoes off and made his way into the house. "Where's your mom?"

"Kitchen, Jay!" Jes called towards them.

Jay headed off towards the kitchen while Diego headed towards the living room. He needed to grab his back to head to the bus stop.

"Hey!" Jay greeted his sister. "You okay?"

"Two sick babies, a sick teenager and my youth centre shut down for God knows how long? Sure, I'm peachy." Jes groaned. "Sorry, Jay. It's not on you… just, didn't sleep last night."

"Don't blame you." He took the bottles from the cupboard. "You need me to make some bottles?"

"That would be fantastic." Jes felt she could use all the help she could possible get at this point.

"So, they hit the water line?" Jay filled the two bottles and set them to warm up in the bottle warmer.

"Supposedly, but things have been going haywire around there with all that construction lately."

"Yeah, well, Antonio didn't sound too thrilled when I called him this morning… turns out half the gym flooded overnight because of those dummies." Jay tested one of the bottles to make sure it wasn't too hot.

"You already talked to him?" Jes asked. She hadn't spoken to Antonio yet this morning. He'd been called out concerning the water in the middle of the night.

"Yeah, since Roman and I are partners in the gym…"

"Oh. Right." Jes had forgotten that tiny detail. "My brain is so fried right now."

Jay took the two bottles to the nursery. Jes carried a small plate with dry toast to Eva's room before joining Jay in the nursery.

"How are you feeling?" Jes asked him. "You know, since…"

"Ribs still hurt a bit, but I'm clear to go back to work. I go back tomorrow."

"Already?" Jes was surprised.

"Jes, it's been almost two weeks." Jay reassured her. "I'll be fine."

"What about her?"

"Jes." Jay knew his sister was less than thrilled about her big brother still being head over heels for Erin.

"I know… just… you didn't see her the day I went there… she was so high, whatever she was on should've been enough to kill a horse."

"She's not around Bunny anymore… she's living with Voight again… and you know him."

"I know he's a hardass."

"Well, if he's a hardass… how do you think he'll be with her?" Jay put the bottle down and began to burp his godson.

"He'll be twice as hard." Jes conceded. She knew what it was like. Jay and Will had been that way with her.

"Exactly. He's not going to let Bunny mess with Erin anymore. He wants her back because she's a damn good cop. End of story… and personally, I want my partner back."

Jes had finished feeding and burping Mateo at this point. She quickly changed his diaper and got him ready for the day. She looked at the clock. She handed Mateo to Jay before going out into the hallway. "Diego? Bus will be at the stop in 15 minutes!"

"I know, Mom!" Came the response. "I'm just putting my shoes on and I'll be out the door!"

"Okay, I'll pick you up after school!" Jes smiled. She was so proud of Diego. "We'll pick a movie after school!"

"Cool! Thanks, Mom!"

Jes heard the door close. She went back to the nursery. "Okay, so she's getting clean… Hank is keeping her on a tight leash… do you think you're both ready to go back to the job? And work together?"

"I honestly don't know. I just want to get back to some form of normal."

"Will you be happy?" Jes knew that that was her main concern. Jay deserved to be happy, especially after everything he'd seen and lived through.

Jay nodded. "Yeah… I'll be happy."

"Then, okay." She kissed his cheek. "I'll let it be."

"Thanks, Jes." He handed Jonathan over to her to be changed for the day. "So, what's this about a movie?"

"Uh, Diego… I promised him a movie to thank him for putting up with everything that's been happening."

"I can take him… maybe Will and Antonio could join us… do a guys' night?"

"If you can make it work, I'm pretty sure Diego would be in heaven. He's very much into the latest superhero movie, so take your pick… hell, I'll even pay for the whole thing. I just don't want him to feel left behind, especially since these two and Eva are sick."

"Deal." He cradled Mateo in his arms. "These two are getting so big."

"Don't remind me… I can't believe how fast they're growing…"

"Having issues with that?"

"I know it's part of life, but I feel as if I didn't really get a chance to enjoy the baby phase." Jes started to head out of the room.

Jay, following her, stated. "Jes, they're still babies."

"I know… but the time they were in the NICU… the trial… the recovery… the wedding…"

"I know, and you went back to work already."

"Part time." She reiterated. "I only work a couple days a week and only for a few hours at a time."

"But it's time away from them." He reminded her. "They love you no matter what, but you're the one with the guilty conscience."

Jes sighed. "Yeah… well, we'll be back at the farm in a couple weeks."

"How's Jacquie doing?" Jay hadn't heard much out of Atwater at work.

"Doesn't Kevin talk about her?"

"Sometimes, but I think he just wants to be back there. He's worried he's going to miss the baby being born."

"I thought he was leaving today?" Jes put the twins into their swings while she set about cleaning the kitchen a bit.

"So did I… but I haven't seen him in a week." Jay knew that Kevin had been expecting to leave today, but with Jay out of the field, it meant he'd been asked to stay a little longer so as to not have Intelligence down too many members at once.

Jes hadn't either. Vinessa had come over a couple times, but the topic generally focused on school or on the latest One Direction hit. "I'm supposed to be calling Jacquie tonight… basically to keep her from going insane. Her mom is being super protective of her and it's driving her batty."

"Ah." Jay could understand that. He and Will had attempted to do the same thing for Jes, but hadn't been as successful.

"I'm heading out this weekend… providing Jacquie doesn't go into labour sooner."

"Antonio leaving at the same time?"

Jes shook her head. "Nope. He's only coming up the Friday before the Canadian Thanksgiving."

"Ah."

"Yeah… so it'll be interesting. The kids and I alone for about a week or so."

"You'll be fine." Jay grinned. "Anyhow, I'm gonna get going. Get all my paperwork in order."

Jes hugged her brother. "Just, be safe… because I really can't take seeing any of you guys in the hospital anymore."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." He smiled.

"You always say that… and I was just visiting you in the hospital after you were held captive by a drug dealer."

"That's like a once in a lifetime deal." Jay was trying to ease her mind.

"Uh huh… okay." Jes wasn't buying it.

"Okay, I will do my best not to get hurt, kidnapped or shot at when I go back to work." He held his hand over his heart. "And I promise to make sure your husband does the same."

"Okay." Jes sighed. "Get going, I'm gonna start making some chicken soup for Eva. Don't forget to talk to Will and Antonio about the movie for Diego."

"Will do." Jay headed to the door. "See ya later."

"Later, Jay!" Jes said as the door closed.

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* * *

Antonio was going over some paper work on the case Hank and he were working concerning human trafficking. Matt Casey had been helping them with this particular case because he was doing construction at Nesbitt's strip club, Stilettos. He was so into his work that he didn't know Matt was upstairs.

"Antonio." Matt greeted him.

"Oh, hey, Matt." Antonio put his paperwork down and shook Matt's hand. "What's up?"

"Voight called… said you guys had a plan?"

Antonio and Voight did have an idea, but it wasn't full blown plan yet. "Uh, yeah. Let's go talk to Voight."

"Matt." Voight greeted him.

"Hank."

"So, we know that your buddy, Jack Nesbitt is into some pretty nasty business." Hank said.

"The guys he's working with traffic Eastern European women against their will." Antonio added. "Look, we need you to go in and try and get some evidence on the guy. We have that, we can bring him in and take the whole crew down."

Matt sighed. "Sure. I know Katya has a lot of it written in some journal… and she wants out."

"Okay, well… you're headed there today right?" Antonio asked. He knew if Gaby was off, so was Matt.

"Yeah…"

"Okay, good… we want you to have a listening device… we can get some stuff on these guys." Voight said. "Just know… this… this is going to be dangerous."

"Hank, I run into burning buildings for a living."

"There won't be flames, Casey." Antonio said. "It'll be bullets."

"I'm still in… I want these guys out of Chicago… I want these girls free." Matt said, determined.

"Okay… then you'll need to do some recon… find out when those guys will be there again… and you'll need to make sure that they don't make you… cause, they do… we'll be pulling your body from the river." Voight laid out the reality of what Matt was going to be undertaking.

"I get it, I do. I want this guy gone, Voight… like long gone."

"Okay… you get the info for the next meet… and we'll get everything lined up." Hank shook Matt's hand.

"Let me walk you out." Antonio offered. As they made their way down their stairs, Antonio asked Matt a very important question. "Does Gaby know about this?"

"I…" Matt sighed. "She and I are on a break, Antonio… you know that."

"I know that, Matt… and I know it broke my sister's heart."

Matt looked to him. "I love Gaby… always will… but… she wants to be a firefighter first… and I'm not about to stop her. She's worked way to hard to get here."

Antonio knew that's what Gaby wanted, but he also knew Gaby had been in love with Matt for the last two or three years. "Look, just… don't give up on this relationship just yet… please."

"I'm not… Antonio, I still plan on marrying Gaby… once we can figure out how to be able to stay in the same house."

"Okay." Antonio smiled. "Just, be safe… okay? I don't wanna have to fish your body out of the river."

"I'll be fine. Just get these guys." Matt shook Antonio's hand and headed out to Stilettos.

Antonio had a bad feeling about this whole operation, but he knew they had to take this ring down.

* * *

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* * *

"Hey babe!" Antonio greeted Jes. "How's the day been so far?" He had decided to come home for lunch today.

Jes handed him a sleeping Jonathan. "Well, Jon decided that sleeping was his number one priority… Mateo on the other hand… decided that a marathon of poopy diapers was his priority."

"I see." He cradled his youngest son in his arms. "How about Eva?"

"Barely able to keep toast down." Jes sighed. "Her immune system took a beating with her appendix last year, and now fighting a gastro bug is that much harder."

"Hmm." Antonio kissed her cheek. "Anything else new?"

"Well, Jay was over for a good chunk of the morning. Told me he's going back to work tomorrow."

"Voight didn't say anything about that." Antonio followed her to the kitchen.

"He probably hasn't talked to him yet."

"Do you think he's ready to go back?"

"No." Jes answered. "But do you think he'll listen to me?"

"Probably not." Antonio knew that Jay was pigheaded. It seemed to be a trait in the Halstead family, even Jes was that stubborn. "Anything else?"

"Uh… well, I think Diego's feeling a little left out right now… so I was going to take him to a movie, but Jay suggested that maybe you guys should do a 'guys' night' and go see a movie together and have Will join you."

"Hey, I'm all for that." Antonio grinned. "Anything to keep my mind off of work."

"Wanna talk about it while we eat?" Jes asked.

"Sure… just promise me not to talk to Gaby about it."

"What's Gaby gotta do with Intelligence?"

Antonio gave the details he could concerning Matt's side job and what he'd stumbled upon.

"So, now Matt's gotta get some info for you and you don't want Gaby to risk blowing it before he gets it?"

"Pretty much."

Jes smiled. "My lips are sealed. Plus, between the twins being sick, Eva being sick… and me trying to keep my head above water with work… and guilt."

"Guilt?" Antonio's head shot up. "What's got you feeling guilty, babe?"

"Just… I feel like I'm not spending enough times with the twins… I feel like I'm failing them as a mother…"

"Hey… enough of that." Antonio placed Jonathan in his bouncy chair and went to his wife. "You are an amazing mother." He kissed her cheek. "To all our children."

"Doesn't feel like that sometimes."

"Hmm." Antonio held her closely. "You are great… the kids know how much you love them. They also know that it's a huge adjustment having two infants, a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old."

"I just want to make sure they're all getting the love and attention they need."

"I think you may need to make another appointment with Dr. Charles. He may be able to get you to see something that you're not seeing in yourself that the rest of us see."

"You're probably right." Jes nuzzled against Antonio's chest.

"So, what's for lunch?"

"Chicken soup." She laughed. "I'm hoping that Eva will be able to keep it down."

"You serve, I'll go get Eva." Antonio headed upstairs.

* * *

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* * *

The rest of the week started to fly by. Antonio had given Kevin and Vinessa a ride to the airport so that they could be with Jacquie before had the baby. Jes had decided that she wasn't going back to P2K until after Jacquie had had the baby. There were more than enough people there to know exactly what needed to be done to keep P2K up and running. She also had the perk of being the owner and main operator of it. She trusted her team and that was the main thing. Now she needed to arrange for Eva and Diego to stay caught up with their classmates, then she needed to arrange their itinerary and luggage for their departure date. She'd had to push it back because Mateo had an ear infection and Will had told them that putting a baby with an ear infection on a plane was a recipe for disaster. She was now taking off on the Tuesday instead of the today, Saturday, as was originally planned.

"Hey, babe?" Antonio asked from the bedroom.

Jes poked her head out of the nursery. "What?"

"I just got a text from Voight."

Jes positioned Mateo over her shoulder and headed back to the bedroom. "Okay?"

"Well… actually, it started with Matt texting me. They're having the meet tonight."

"Oh boy."

"Yeah." Antonio was pulling on a pair of socks. "I'll probably have to work late."

"Okay… just make sure Matt comes out of this in one piece."

"Why? You know something I don't?"

"I know that Gaby will probably kill you if something happens to Matt. No matter what either of those two say, they're still head over heels for each other." She paused. "It's kinda like me with you."

"I promise I will do my best to keep him in one piece." He got up and kissed her. "How're the boys?"

"Well, Diego still can't stop talking about the movie last night… I've never learned so much about the Avengers than I have in the last 24 hours." She laughed. "Though, I'm not sure who was more pumped about you guys doing guys night last night, him… or my brothers."

"Pretty sure we were all fan boys." Antonio laughed with her. "What about the twins?"

"Jon is way better than he was a few days back. Mateo's tummy is better but now it's this ear infection…"

"Will did say the medication should kick in and he'd be fine to fly by Tuesday."

"I know, but I hate seeing him suffering with that. I remember my ear aches and stuff when I was little. It was brutal. He keeps pulling at his ear and he's cranky because he's not sleeping properly."

"Tylenol?" Antonio suggested.

"Been using it… it only does so much. His tiny immune system is trying to fight this off too." She sighed. "Eva at least is able to eat normal food again and is moving around a bit more."

"Well, you guys will all be fine." Antonio kissed her again. "I'm off to make sure everything else will be in place for the sting tonight."

"Okay. Be safe." She hugged him tightly and went to go get the twins. They were going to have to be in their room while she packed for their trip.

* * *

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* * *

Jes was done packing for the twins and herself. Now it was time to encourage Eva and Diego to get their bags packed. She didn't want them to pack at the last minute like their father enjoyed doing. "Eva? Diego?"

"We're already packing!" Came Eva's response.

"And we're only packing what we need." Diego added.

Jes poked her head into their rooms and saw that sure enough, they were packing. "Alright. Once they're packed, keep them by the door so come Tuesday morning, we don't have to make a mad dash to get them ready."

"Got it!"

"And, tonight, I think I'll make you guys a special treat for supper."

"Thanks, Mom!" Came a very excited response from Diego.

Jes chuckled and headed to get the twins to bring them to their swings so she could start on supper. Minion joined her at that point and stayed curled up between the two swings, acting as the twins' guardian.

Jes was halfway through prepping the chicken when the doorbell rang. She quickly washed her hands and headed to the door. She was surprised to see her sister-in-law on the other side of it. "Gaby?"

"Jes… is 'Tonio here?"

Jes shook her head. "No. He's working." She knew she couldn't tell Gaby the whole truth, but Antonio really was working.

"Oh…" Gaby stepped into the house. "Um… can we talk? Like, girl talk?"

Jes nodded. "Sure, uh…" She looked around. "On a scale of one to ten… how serious is this girl talk?"

"11."

"Okay… then… I'm gonna call Will and have him take the kids out for a bit… then we can talk."

"Thanks." Gaby collapsed into a barstool.

Jes quickly called Will and he came to get the kids. The kids knew that whatever was going it had to be important. Jes got the twins bundled up and put in their car seats and handed her keys to Will.

"I have my own car."

"Yeah, but you don't wanna spend the next hour trying to move seats from mine to yours. Just… here." She handed him a wad of cash. "Take 'em for supper… I'll call when this is done."

"Yeah." He kissed her cheek. "Just don't do anything drastic… okay?" He handed her the keys to his car. "In case you need it."

"Promise." She kissed the twins and hugged Eva and Diego before going back to the house. "Gaby?"

"Still in the kitchen." Gaby's voice was shaking.

"Hey. Wanna tell me what's going on now?"

"Umm." Gaby didn't know how or where to start.

"Gaby… come on… it's just you and me here."

Gaby sighed. "I know. I just… I wasn't thinking when I raced over here."

"Okay, well tell me something and I can try to help you out. Stay mute and I can't do much."

Gaby just blurted it out. "I think I'm pregnant!"

Jes froze. "What?!"

Gaby gulped. "I think I'm pregnant."

"Okay… why?"

"I think you know how people get pregnant, Jes… you have twins."

"No… Gah!" Jes shook her head. "Why do you think you're pregnant?"

"Remember a while back… I told you Matt and I had…"

"Yeah, and I asked you back then if you thought it was going to lead to you guys getting back together or what…"

"I told you that it was just in the heat of the moment… and now… I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant."

"Again… why? Symptoms?"

"Missed my period this month… like it's 2 weeks late."

"Did you do a test?"

"No!" Gaby put her arms on the island and put her head on them. "I'm so scared to go buy one."

"Gaby… if you're pregnant, you need to know." Jes sat next to her. "Matt will need to know."

"But… what if I am?"

"Gaby… it's a baby… I'm pretty sure Matt will be happy."

"Oh, he will… but… I don't… I don't know if I want him to just come back because we're going to have a child together."

"You sound like me when I found out about the twins." Jes sighed. She had never really expressed her terror of finding out she was pregnant in the first place. She knew deep down that Antonio wouldn't just stay because she was carrying his child, but she was still fearful that that could've been a reality. The other reality was that he could've run for the hills and there wasn't anything she could've done about it.

Gaby stared at her. "No… I'm terrified."

"And you think I wasn't?" Jes crossed her arms. "I didn't want Antonio to feel burdened. Especially with how everything played out. And right now, you're putting the cart before the horse… you don't even know for sure." Jes took Gaby's hand. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Gaby was confused.

"The bathroom silly… it's where the medicine cabinet is."

"Why the hell do we need the medicine cabinet?"

Jes opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a box. "Here."

Gaby examined the box. "A pregnancy test? You and Antonio trying again?"

"No… but we're not exactly preventing either." Jes smiled. "Take one. If it's positive… then we can keep having this freak out."

Gaby groaned. "Okay…"

Jes left the bathroom, closing the door behind her. It would probably be the longest 3 minutes of Gaby's life, but they needed to know.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio was staring at his computer screen like he had been for the last hour. Matt still hadn't checked in. He was starting to worry, but Voight wasn't worried yet. He texted Jes.

 _-Hey… how're the kids?_

He put the phone down and began to go over some of the recently closed cases that Intelligence had handled. He was three quarters of the way through the last report when his phone dinged. He put the file down and looked at his phone.

 _-They're with Will… Gaby needed some girl time._

Antonio was intrigued. He typed another response.

 _-Everything okay?_

 _-Minor meltdown… relationship issues._

Antonio sighed.

 _-Anything I need to know about?_

 _-No. Just trust me. Worry about work, I've got Gaby._

Antonio chuckled. He knew that Gaby was in good hands with Jes. Jes also had a point. He needed to focus on Matt and bringing down a human trafficking ring.

* * *

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* * *

"Gaby… you alive in there?" Jes knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yeah… are the three minutes up yet?"

"As of now." Jes said. "Can I come in?"

The door squeaked open. Jes looked at the sink. The pregnancy test was face down on the counter and Gaby was sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"Well?" Gaby asked.

"Don't you want to look first?" Jes asked.

Gaby shook her head. Jes reached for the test but Gaby bolted up from the tub and grabbed the test. "I…" She flipped the test over. "Oh my God."

Jes tilted the test towards her. There was no denying that there were two distinct pink lines on the test staring back at them. "Um… congrats?"

"Oh… Oh God." Gaby dropped the test in the sink. "I… I'm pregnant."

"Yeah…" Jes took Gaby and sat on the toilet. "Okay… you need to breathe… you're not breathing."

Gaby took a deep breath. "I… oh, I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Okay, breathe… and we're gonna have to talk about it."

"I'm pregnant… there's not much to talk about, Jes."

"Gaby… there's only one man who can be the father… what are you gonna be telling Matt?"

"I don't know." Gaby sighed. "I really don't." She looked to her sister-in-law. "Were you really unsure about telling Antonio about Jon and Mateo?"

Jes nodded. "Yeah… I was terrified. I'd been told all along that I couldn't have kids. Our entire relationship… the sex… was based on that. I was terrified that he'd think I lied to him."

"I told Matt… that… that night was just a one-time thing. That we still needed to focus on the career… Oh, fuck!"

"Okay… well, the major question is this… do you want this baby?"

Gaby looked up to Jes as if she'd sprouted a second head. "Of course I do!" Gaby exclaimed. "I do… I want this baby… and I want Matt."

"Then, you need to tell him." Jes took Gaby's hand.

"I do need to tell him." Gaby got up, but quickly sat back down again. "After this nausea stops."

Jes giggled. "Let's get you to the kitchen. I'll get you some gingerale and crackers… they saved me when I had the twins."

"Thanks, sis."

After an hour or so, Gaby was feeling well enough to go to tell Matt. Jes offered to drive, just in case Gaby got nauseated along the way.

"How do I tell him?" Gaby asked as they waited at a red light.

"Whatta ya mean?" Jes looked to her.

"Like, how do I tell him that we're gonna be parents?"

Jes put the Journey in gear and slowly went through the intersection. "I wish I could give you a good answer, but I don't know. I was in a hospital bed and I just asked Alec to do an ultrasound with Antonio in the room."

"I don't have the option." Gaby leaned her head against the cool glass of the passenger window.

"Maybe just tell him you have to talk and tell him flat out?" Jes had no idea. She'd seen a number of ideas for how to tell a partner you're pregnant, and she'd saved a few in a secret Pinterest album in case she and Antonio ever tried for another baby, but they definitely didn't have the time or supplies to do something like that for Matt.

"Probably best. Matt hates it when people beat around the bush."

Jes rounded the corner to where Gaby and Matt's home was, even though Gaby hadn't been living there for a while. "You ready?" Jes asked as she turned off the engine.

"As ready as I can ever be." Gaby took a deep breath.

The two of them made their way up the steps of the house. Gaby took out her keys and went to unlock the door. When she pushed the key into the lock, the door pushed open.

Gaby and Jes exchanged a glance. Jes asked. "Matt wouldn't leave the door like that, would he?"

Gaby shook her head. "No. Not ever."

"Maybe we should call Antonio?"

"Not yet." Gaby pushed the door open. "Let's… let's just see what's going on. Matt! Matt, are you home!?"

"Gaby! It might not be safe!" Jes tried to grab Gaby's arm. She had no choice but to follow her sister into the dark house. She had her cell in hand and she was ready to call Antonio if something was really off, especially considering he was working a case involving Matt in the first place. She was starting to wish that she had inquired more into that particular case. "Damn it!"

Gaby made her way through to the living room. She froze and cried out.

"Gaby!" Jes ran towards her. "What's wrong?!" Jes stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh my God!"

Lying on the ground, was a blonde, petite woman. Gaby ran to her side when she saw the pool of blood was surrounding the woman's body. "She's not breathing!"

Jes bolted into the kitchen and grabbed some towels. Jes knew that they needed to call Antonio, but the bleeding woman on the floor was taking priority. Jes looked around as she and Gaby pressed down on the wounds. "Where's Matt?"

Gaby looked around. "I don't… I… oh God!"

Jes followed her line of sight and saw the holes in the wall. "Oh shit… ummm…" Her hands were slippery with blood. She watched as Gaby began CPR. "We need help." She didn't care about her clothes. She wiped her hands on them and grabbed her purse. She dialed Antonio and put him on speaker as she began to help Gaby with CPR.

"Jes?" Antonio's voice was panicked. "Jes, what's going on?"

"Antonio…" Jes was in shock.

Gaby jumped in. "Antonio… we're at Matt's… he's not here!"

"What?" Antonio was trying to make sense of this. "What do you mean you're at Matt's?"

"I… I came to talk to him and… the door was open… there's a blonde on the floor… she's bled all over the floor, we're… we're doing CPR… Antonio, Matt's gone!"

"I'm sending help." Antonio said, as calmly as he could. "Don't touch anything more than you already have… okay… I'm coming."

"Antonio… where's Matt? What's going on?" Gaby was sobbing.

"I'll… I'll tell you when I get there." Antonio said. "Just… be safe… we're on our way."

* * *

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* * *

"We're on our way." Antonio grabbed his jacket. "Voight!"

Hank stuck his head out of his office. "What's going on?"

"Matt's MIA, Jes and Gaby are at his place, there's a dying or dead girl on the floor and bullet holes in the wall."

"Okay… we roll out." Hank grabbed his jacket and they ran down to his vehicle.

They tore through traffic, sirens blaring. They got to Matt's house as the paramedics were leaving with an empty stretcher. Hank stopped one. "The girl?"

"She was gone before we got here." She said, shaking her head. "We checked over the two who found her. They're shook up, but they're not hurt. Uh, the one with purple hair… she's asking for Antonio."

"That would be me." Antonio said. "Thanks."

The medic nodded and headed out. Obviously, they weren't from the same area as 51, because they would've known who Gaby was. Voight looked to him. "Let's go check on them… then we gotta find Matt."

"Yeah." They made their way into the house.

The coroner was there having the body prepped for transport. The crime scene team was going through the house collecting evidence. Two patrolmen had taken Jes and Gaby to the guest room to wait for Antonio. Voight stopped to talk to the lead officer on the scene. Antonio headed straight for Jes and Gaby. He walked into the room and didn't even have time to say who he was before Jes threw herself at him.

"Antonio!"

"Hey, baby… shh… it's okay." Antonio said. He held her tightly. "I've got it, thanks guys."

The patrolmen nodded and headed off. Gaby got up. "Antonio, what the fuck is going on around here!?"

"Gaby." Antonio knew she was pissed. He also knew that she couldn't take her normal 'Gaby' attitude to this situation.

"No, Antonio… I need to know what the hell is going on here! There's a dead girl in the living room… Matt's… Matt's missing, and there are bullet holes in walls… WHAT IS HAPPENING?"

Antonio sighed. He knew that if he didn't tell her, she'd ask Voight. "Matt… brought us a case… potentially… a case concerning human trafficking out of the strip club he was renovating."

"Stilettos?" Gaby gasped. "It's run by a former firefighter…"

"Matt thinks he may be dirty… we put a wire on him… he was trying to get one of the girls to help him. She had lots of dirt on these guys… she trusted Matt."

"Is she the dead girl in the living room?" Gaby was furious. She had no idea as to what Matt had been going through in the last little while.

"Yeah… Gaby… breathe… we're gonna get Matt back… I promise." Antonio put his hands on Gaby's shoulders. "Have I ever broken that kind of promise?"

"No."

"Then you stay with Jes… I'm going to get Matt." Antonio kissed his sister's forehead. "I promise."

He kissed Jes and whispered in her ear. "Make sure she stays with you. No matter what."

"I know."

"You're gonna end up following us, aren't you?"

"Just be safe, and I'll take care of Gaby." She pushed him out of the room. "Okay, Gaby, you need to breathe… stress for you right now is no bueno."

"I'm not a doll, Jes."

"I know you're not, but I've been in your shoes… and I know you didn't tell Antonio about… ya know…"

Gaby's hand flew instinctively to her abdomen. "Well… no."

"Then, trust me." Jes smiled. "Come on, we'll slowly make our way there so you can see Matt when they get him out."

"But…"

"Really, Gaby? You're gonna start hesitating now?" Jes grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the guest room.

* * *

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* * *

Antonio and Voight raced to Stiletto's with a tactical team on their tail. They needed to get to Matt pronto. His wire was dead but they had a strong signal based off the ping order. They pulled up and made their way into the club. They could hear heavily accented voices yelling, demanding a book. Another voice joined in, begging Casey to give them Katya's notebook. Voight and Antonio signalled to the team to split up and surround them. They moved in. Antonio's goal was to get Matt out of there. Voight would grab Nesbitt and the tactical team would tackle the traffickers.

"Chicago PD! Nobody move!" Antonio and Voight shouted.

The other men that were with Nesbitt and Casey reached for their weapons. No one could make a move. Antonio wrapped his arms around Matt and pulled him away.

"Casey! Casey! Hey, it's me!" Antonio had to use all his strength to stop Matt from fighting him. "It's Antonio. It's over."

"They killed Katya." Matt was furious and hurt. While he wouldn't have attempted to pursue a relationship with her, she was still an innocent person who'd been dealt a crappy hand. "They… they killed her!"

"I know… I know." Antonio said. "Are there any more?"

"No… it was just those two…"

"What did they want?"

"A notebook…" Matt was hyperventilating. "She had a notebook with everything on the operation…"

"Did they get it?"

Matt shook his head. "No. I don't know where she hid it."

"Did she tell you?"

"She said it was at the club… but I never found it."

"Okay… okay… breathe." Antonio tried to calm him down. He led him away from the ruckus that was around them.

"Ma'am! Ma'am!" A voice from outside the club was shouting.

This drew Antonio and Matt's attention to the door. Gaby and Jes were racing through the door, a patrolman on their tail. Antonio waved him off.

Gaby rushed into Matt's arms. "Matt! Oh, thank God!"

Matt wrapped his arms tightly around Gaby. He kissed her. "I'm okay."

"The… your house…" Gaby was blabbering.

Jes was calm. She looked to Antonio. He left his sister with Matt and made his way over to her. "I thought I asked you to keep an eye on her?" He asked, kissing her cheek.

"I did… I just happened to keep an eye on her on our way here." Jes smiled coyly. "Look, she needs time with Matt."

"Something you wanna tell me?"

"I think she just realized that she shouldn't be playing hard to get anymore." Jes answered. "You get 'em all?"

"Yeah… but we still don't have what they killed Katya over."

"The girl at Matt's place?"

Antonio nodded. "Yeah… this is gonna be a mess for a while."

"So, don't wait up?" Jes arched an eyebrow.

"You're catching on fast."

Jes smirked. "Only been a year and a half that I'm with you… should be used to it by now."

"Okay, well… take Gaby to Med… I'm gonna have to ask some more questions but I'll ride with Matt over in the ambo."

"Don't you think Gaby'll wanna go too?"

Antonio shrugged. "She can want, but she ain't gonna win."

While on their way to Med, Jes asked. "Did you tell him?"

Gaby sighed. "No… I don't wanna tell him like that."

"Well… then exactly how do you plan on telling him?" Jes paused. "Or better yet, when?"

"Soon." Gaby leaned back against the passenger seat.

"Are you going to tell your brother?"

"Eventually. Preferably after I tell Matt." Gaby said. "I just need to know he'll be okay."

"He will be. He's got you." Jes resassured her.

* * *

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* * *

After leaving Gaby and Matt at Med, Jes gave Antonio a ride back to the District.

"Think they'll be okay?" Antonio asked.

"I think so… they just need time." Jes smiled. "I think she realized that what they had was way more important than just the job."

"Hmm." Antonio rubbed his temples. This whole mess was giving him a headache.

"How long do you think you'll be?" She asked as they pulled up to the district.

"No clue… depends on how much Voight was able to get out of the goons we arrested at the club."

"Ah." She said. "Well, Will has the kids… think I could just wait here?"

"Sure." He knew that Voight wouldn't complain. Voight thought of Jes as another daughter. "Come on."

Voight was waiting for them in the bullpen. "Antonio, Jes." He greeted them. "How's Casey?"

"Shook up." Antonio answered. "Docs cleared him to go home… Gaby took him to her place… his is still a crime scene. He doesn't know where the book is."

"Fair enough." Voight sighed. "Those two clowns aren't saying anything."

"Doubt they ever will." Antonio knew the likelihood of them turning on their boss.

"Well, we've got them… that's what matters."

Jes had gone to sit at Antonio's desk. She was exhausted, but she didn't want to go home yet. She most definitely didn't want to go home alone either. She could see that Antonio was exhausted too. He wouldn't admit it, but she knew he needed sleep. This case had taken a large toll on him. She was about to suggest they go home when a group of men in dark suits came up the stairs.

"Uh, can we help you?" Voight asked.

"You Sergeant Voight?" The leader asked.

Voight nodded. "Yeah, I'm Voight… who are you?"

The leader opened his ID. "FBI."

Antonio groaned. "Great. Uh, Jes… can you…" He motioned to the kitchen.

Jes nodded and went to the kitchen area, closing the door behind her.

After a couple more hours passed before Antonio came to the kitchen. "Hey, baby."

"Hey." Jes got up and hugged him. "Everything okay? You look like you just went a few rounds with Mike Tyson."

"I wish it was that easy." Antonio was livid. He didn't look forward to telling Matt or Gaby what he'd just found out.

"Can we talk about it?"

"Yeah, but not here." He whispered. "Let's go home."

* * *

 _ ***TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR*TR***_

* * *

 _ **A/N: Well… here's another chapter. It's only taken me this long to write it. Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think! More to come… just it takes time. Lots of love, Nicole!**_


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